Secrets
by Starlight Curse
Summary: The DA class wasn't the first place he would ever look to find Mikan Sakura. Maybe that was why Natsume allowed himself the luxury to, for once in his life, be oblivious. CANON.
1. Is that her?

**Hello everyone! This is my very first fanfic, so I apologize if it isn't at its best. **

**It's also kinda long, huh? Sorry! I didn't know where to cut it! :)**

**This fanfic follows the storyline of the Gakuen Alice manga a few years after. **

**It will probably be different after chapter 127 or so, because that's about when I started writing it.**

**Oh, and I'll try to post the next chapters as soon as possible!**

**Enjoy!**

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Is that… her?

With his head rested against the trunk, the boy closed his crimson eyes and tried to rest. Maybe he _was_ like a cat since, at the moment, he was up twenty feet in the air, laying in a tree. That's what everyone seemed to know him as. Well, not being specific on what type of cat.

Only a few scratches remained from his last mission. Most were healed, hardly any scars visible. It seemed so long ago. They usually sent him on more, but lately, it had been pretty quiet. Much more quiet than it should've been. Of course, he knew the reason why, and he _was_ relieved, but he just wished _everything_ didn't have to change.

He just wished_ she_ didn't have to go.

_Dammit_, he swore in his head. He usually kept his emotions bottled up and hidden from everyone, even his best friend, but it had been harder lately. It's not like he'd ever admit it, but he missed her noisy voice, her annoying presence, her beautiful smile. When she left, she had cried and cried, which was so like her. But the goodbyes were tough, and everyone else missed her a lot.

All the others in their class felt a little gloomy still, even almost two years later. Even her old senpais were missing her and her stubborn, annoying, troublesome self. That girl had brought a lot of joy to the academy, for students and teachers alike—and in the end, she brought peace. The elementary principal was now defeated, Persona cooled down and forgave himself, and the dangerous abilities class was terminated. No more students had to go on missions, and being at the academy was finally enjoyable. All thanks to the girl who was gone.

She wasn't dead. She was still very, very much alive. But right after the final battle (the dangerous, all out Alice brawl), just as she promised, the girl left with her mother, not to escape from danger (since it was done, anyway), but to build a bond with her mom. The one she had never known; the one who left her with her Jii-chan and left because she was trying to protect her. The one who helped them save everyone.

The boy in the tree sat up, raven hair falling back into his eyes. He wouldn't think about her. He wouldn't worry about her. He knew she would come back, just like she promised. He knew she wasn't one to break them.

_Ding, dong, dong, ding_.

A bell sounded, signaling the start of classes. Underneath, the current of people was already thinned, the students coming from the dorms to the middle school building were already inside. Not caring if he was late, the boy didn't get up. Instead, he closed his eyes again and rested back into position. Narumi was no longer their teacher since they moved to seventh grade, now to eighth, but that didn't mean the boy still couldn't get away with being late. All of the teachers knew how irritable he'd become after she left. Even now, no one would dare mess with him.

Time passed slowly both in and out of class. The students were still wondering what the crimson eyed boy was doing. They knew how much he missed her, and that his recent bad behavior was just trying to release some of his pain. Out on the tree, the boy grumbled in his restless sleep. As much as he told himself he didn't like it, the memories of the girl warmed his heart.

She with her chocolate-colored hair, always in its pig tails, smiled. At first, everyone rejected her for some reason they didn't really know themselves. Even he himself felt something weird about her. The only people who stood by the girl in the very beginning was the class rep, Yuu, who everyone called Iinchou, and a cold-hearted, purple eyed girl who she knew before (and the reason she came to the academy), Hotaru.

Soon, though, everyone was drawn to the girl. Her smile and positive attitude was bright, and she would never give up without trying (even if it ended in failure). Always helping people, always cheering them up, nobody could reject the girl anymore. Even the boy.

"Natsume, you jerk!" she would always yell at him, because he always made fun of her, was mean to her, and always had insults to throw at her. He was never one to call a girl by her name, and even those guys he didn't like— *cough* Tsubasa *cough* — he would call insulting things. It was just one of the things he did that always made her madder.

The girl would always help people, even if they didn't want it at first. In return, everyone couldn't help but help her. She was loud, annoying, stupid and oblivious, but no one could really hate the girl. Her name was on everyone's lips, and that's what annoyed the boy most of all.

"Mikan-chan!"

"Sakura!"

"Mikan!"

"Sakura-san!"

"Polka dots," he said. That's what he always called her since he saw the print on her underwear when they first met. It annoyed the heck out of her, but he still called her what he wanted.

The academy used to be hell for students like Natsume. Being a dangerous ability student was only a cover for the elementary school principal's pawns; for the students required to complete dangerous missions with their strong Alices. They'd come back injured, sometimes fatally, but they still had to go. No mercy was given.

Until she came.

So many things happened. The festival, the kidnapping, the rescue escape. The games, the dances, the friends. The kisses, the love, the jealousy. The fighting, the enemies, the pain. The secrets, the transfer students, the trouble. So much over the course of many months. All in one school called Alice Academy (Gakuen Alice).

Alices. Still, even now, no one really knew what they were, and why only a select bunch had them. People on the outside knew them as geniuses (which was totally lost on Mikan). But inside, they were known as natural born powers. Most only had one. Some had more. Hardly any had more than three, though, at least naturally.

The boy in the tree sighed. He knew at once that he wasn't sleeping. But instead of getting up and going to class like a good boy, he stayed where he was like himself. After a few moments, he got bored and decided to go looking for trouble. So he swung his legs over the branch and got ready to jump.

Then he heard footsteps.

Sometimes there were teachers who walked through there around that time, to go from one class to another. Usually, during class time, students wouldn't dare be out in public to be seen skipping. It was only Natsume. He paused, not wanting to get caught that day, and stayed in the tree, knowing it wouldn't be another like him.

"Here we are! The middle school building. You remember it from before, right?" This voice was Narumi's, their homeroom teacher from elementary school. The boy would know that peppy tone anywhere. He was a weirdly happy teacher, but everyone liked him enough. The mystery was who he was talking to. Tree branches hid them, so he couldn't be sure. Probably a new student. But…

"Wowie! It's so much bigger than I remembered!"

The boy froze. He knew that voice. He knew it better than anyone, and he was positive who it was. That person's voice hadn't changed one bit, even the amazement tone was just the same. Wind brushed by and blew cherry blossoms dancing across the pavement below him as two people walked into view. One was Narumi. The second was, as he suspected…

"It's so biiiiiiggg!" Mikan gushed wish a huge smile.

Her.

It was her. He wasn't dreaming. She was really here. He wanted to throw his arms around her. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to tell her how much he missed her, but instead, he jumped down, landing right behind them on both feet and said, "Yo, Polka."

Spinning around, the girl in the pigtails stared in surprise at the crimson eyed boy who stood before her. She didn't look much different. Her chocolate colored hair was a little longer, her eyes still just as big. A smile played on her lips, but anyone could have expected that. "Natsume!" she exclaimed. What the boy wasn't expecting was a jump.

Mikan threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. He was actually a little surprised in her actions. Maybe a slap or a punch would be normal, but the girl just gave him the biggest hug and cried out of joy. "Hey…" he said.

Narumi sighed. "Skipping class again, Natsume-kun? Honestly, sooner or later, those teachers are going to lose sympathy for you and start tying you to the chairs in the classroom." The boy just stared daggers at him, cursing the teacher for being there the moment he first sees the girl he loves again.

"Natsume, you shouldn't be skipping class." Mikan told him, letting go (much to his hidden dismay).

He just rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Mikan threw her hands up and twirled, showing off her uniform. "What does it look like? I'm transferring in to the middle school!"

The boy looked at her. "What about your mom?"

Smiling another one of her big smiles, she said, "That's what's great about this. After Mom and I traveled a lot, we ran into Misaki-sensei and he offered her to work here!"

She took his raised eyebrows as a "Really?"

"Yep! So she accepted and now—" The girl smiled. "—here I am!"

"And if you may excuse us, Natsume-kun," Narumi said, "I have to take Mikan-chan to her new class."

But instead of doing what he was told, Natsume grabbed the girl's hand and said, "I'll take her. She's in my class anyway, right?"

Narumi smiled, not really surprised which just pissed Natsume off that he was predictable. Beside him, the girl was a different story. Her face flushed and was filled with surprise, but she didn't pull away as the boy dragged her along and said, "Come on, idiot."

When Natsume and Mikan walked around the corner, Narumi's face fell from its fake smile. A voice said in his head, _Naru. Everything's alright now. Leave it to me and the flower_, and he couldn't help but sigh. He didn't want to lie to anybody, but this was for her. This was for Yuka. Narumi sighed and went straight to the hospital.

As they walked down the hallway, hand in hand, silence surrounded them. Mikan seemed to be embarrassed, and Natsume was just being himself. Still, he wondered what was wrong because usually that girl was always talking so much it gave him a headache. "Hey, Polka."

That snapped her out of it. "Hey! I'm not wearing polka dots today!'

He smirked. "The class is just this way," was all he said.

"Natsume, how's the academy now? Since I left?" Mikan asked, wondering how all her friends were doing.

"Fine."

"Hotaru?" She thought of her best friend, the cold-hearted, mean, weapon wielding, somewhat kind girl. Hotaru went on a seven month business trip with a client after the final battle, and should've been back already.

"Fine."

"Ruka-pyon?" She thought of his best friend, and the boy who had used to love her, but in the end decided to give her up to Natsume.

"Fine."

"Iinchou?" She thought of the class rep, the first person who was nice to her when she came.

"Fine."

"Permy and Koko?" She thought of the annoying girl who was the leader of the Natsume/Ruka fan club whom she later became good friends with, and the guy with the mind-reading Alice.

"Anna and Nonoko?" She thought of the two girls who were really kind and liked her from the start.

"Fine."

"Tono-senpai?" She thought of the perverted upperclassman who loved her a lot.

"Fine."

"Misaki-senpai?" She thought of her pink haired upperclassman who had a tough attitude but always looked after her.

"Fine."

"Tsubasa-senpai?" She thought of her playful and caring upperclassman who she loved a lot, and had had a little schoolgirl crush on him before, which is what made Natsume not like him in the beginning.

"Dead."

"What?" Mikan cried, stopping in her tracks.

"Kidding. He's alive," Natsume said without emotion.

"Natsume! Can you at least answer me seriously instead of just saying one worded answers?" She gave an exasperated sigh.

In an instant, the boy spun on her, pinning her to the wall beside them. She gasped but he just looked her in the eye and said, "All you've been doing was asking how everybody else was doing, when you didn't even bother to ask about me."

The girl didn't know what to say. They both stood like that for a moment, but then Natsume let her go. He was a little disappointed but he didn't let it show. He also noticed a small scar-like thing that ran across the edge of her collar bone… "Here's our classroom." Beside them were the double doors which all classrooms at the academy had, and a sign above it which read 'Class 3A.'

But before he could open the door to go in, Mikan said, "Natsume," which made him turn to look at her. She didn't scream at him, or yell, or attempt to hit him. Instead, she tiptoed up and kissed him on the cheek, saying, "I missed you the most, you know." Not waiting for an answer, she opened up the door and stepped in.

And she said, "Hi, everyone!"

Which turned every head. All the students of Class 3A stared at the pigtailed girl who stood in the doorway in shock. None of them had seen her in such a long time, so it was hard to believe she was actually there. "Mikan!"

Without any further delay, everyone jumped out of their seats to greet her. "Mikan-chan!"

"When did you get back?"

"What's with that uniform?"

"Are you transferring in?"

"How's Yuka-san?"

"Why are you here?"

"We missed you!"

Smiling big, Mikan said, "I missed you guys so much, too!"

Behind her, the boy leaned against the door frame, recovered from the shock of her kiss, and said nothing. He stood by, watching her shine with excitement. Something was stirring in him, but he just left it alone this time. She was here, and that was all that mattered now.

"Natsume." A boy with blond hair and a bunny in his arms came walking towards him.

"Ruka," Natsume acknowledged.

His best friend looked towards Mikan and her welcoming crowd. "Aren't you happy that Sakura's back?" When Natsume didn't answer, Ruka just smiled.

"Ruka-pyon!" The girl in subject bounced over and gave him a hug. She was able to be much more comfortable around him since he decided to leave his crush on her so she could be with Natsume.

"Sakura!" He returned her smile. It's been a while since anyone in their class had really been happy since she left, so it felt nice. Mikan was the type to bring the sunshine wherever she goes. That also meant it followed her away.

"Ooh! It's Usagi-chan!" Mikan grinned, holding her arms out for the white-haired bunny Ruka was holding to jump at her. Usagi was a picky bunny to who held him, only letting those with pure hearts to do so. That's what made the bunny like Mikan, Ruka, and even Natsume, surprisingly.

"Usagi missed you, too, Sakura," he said with a smile. Another crimson-eyed boy watched the girl he loved chat away excitedly, and even though he knew his best friend had given up, he was still a little jealous—which he wouldn't dare admit—to see her talk to other guys after all that time she'd been away.

So without waiting another moment, he grabbed her arm and started to drag her to the back of the room. "Hey! Natsume, what are you doing?" Mikan protested.

But he just kept pulling her and said, "Shut up, strawberry print. You're disturbing the class."

The teacher nodded, happy to finally get the students to get back to their seats. Mikan just blushed furiously, saying, "You peeked again, you pervert!" but the boy just said nothing, although he was happy that she was the same old girl he used to know—and love.

Once they got to the back, Natsume sat down in the middle of the three person bench, dragging Mikan to sit beside him. Ruka took the seat on the other side. The girl couldn't help but smile a little. "Just like old times," she murmured. The other two boys heard her, but decided not to acknowledge it.

Then she noticed something. "Hey, hey. Where's Hotaru?" Her best friend should've been back already.

"Um," Ruka said, looking around Natsume to Mikan. "Imai came back after the promised seven months, but soon after, she was called for another business trip. She should be back in about one month."

"Oh," she said, a little disappointed. She was looking forward to her seeing her best friend, even though she knew that the first thing she would've made contact with would have been the hit of her baka gun. The inventor was harsh and cold on the outside, but Mikan knew that violent actions were the ways she expressed her feelings.

The teacher continued chatting away for the rest of the period, and Mikan just kept her chin on her hand, a lost gaze pointed towards the window. She wasn't aware of anything else around her, especially not the stares of the two boys who sat beside her.

When it was time for lunch, Anna and Nonoko, the non-biological twins, had to shake Mikan to get her to snap out of her trance. Nobody knew what she had been thinking about, but when they asked, all she would do was smile and say, "Nothing."

What they didn't know was that she'd had a slightly sad look during class. Even Koko, the mind reader, didn't notice anything. He couldn't read her mind, but he just thought that it was because of her nullification Alice which was her very first one, not knowing she had more. The only person who noticed something was the one who was too stubborn to show his feelings.

"Come on, Mikan-chan," Nonoko urged her friend, starting to head out the door.

"Lunch today is gonna be delicious!" Anna sang.

"Says the girl with the cooking Alice," Nonoko laughed. "It must be yummy then."

While the two of the girls laughed, Mikan picked up her books and said, "I have to do something first."

The girls nodded. "Okay. We'll catch up with you later."

Everyone left, and soon the only person in the room was a certain crimson eyed boy. He wondered what it was that Mikan had to do (because she was usually a big pig when it came to food), and why she had such a sad look on her face. And more than anything, the small scar on her neck. Before he knew it, he was out of his seat, following where she went.

_Dammit, what's wrong with me?_ He silently cursed himself for acting like a stalker, but he knew he had to. He was—not that he would admit it—worried about her.

Now he was positive something was wrong with him.

-x-

Once she turned the corner, the smile slid from her lips. Fatigue washed over her, but she knew that her training was far from over. If she really cared about the people here, especially him, she would have to do this. Protecting the academy was her main concern.

Sighing, she was about to pull the bows out of her hair that held it in pigtails when a voice rang in her head, _He's there._

Tensed, she made herself relax. She put a slight smile on her face and spun around in the falling cherry blossoms, racking her brain for ideas; excuses. _Is he still here?_ she asked telepathically.

She felt a silent nod. Then something came to her and she smiled brighter, stopped spinning, and started to run off to another building. The breeze was light around her, capturing her in the smell of spring. That's something she missed so much, and after the last fiery rescue, fresh air was something she would never take for granted again.

When she reached the high school building, she grinned and realized how much she actually wanted to do this. Then she ran all the way through the halls (ignoring the stares of the independents) to that one room she knew he would be in. It was lunch time there too, anyways, and that meant he would be…

"Tsubasa-senpai!" she screamed with a smile as soon as she walked into the meeting room.

The boy with the star tattoo under his eye turned towards her, shocked, then a playful grin spread across his face. "Mikan!" Running faster than the wind, she jumped up into her favorite upperclassman's arms. He swung her around a bit and the rest of the club watched. "Mikan, what are you doing here?" he asked her.

"Why is everyone asking me that question?" she teased. "I'm transferring in, of course!"

His eyes widened. "That's great! But what about your mom?"

"Ah, she was offered a job here," Mikan told him. "Mom really loves kids, you know."

"Yeah." He nodded. Tsubasa knew because he had once been saved by her when she didn't even know him. "So how'd you find me? Stalking me already?"

Giving him a little push on the shoulder from where she sat on his lap, she said, "Someone told me you were in the soccer club. And Mom said that they meet every other day during lunch."

"A sport is a fun time passer."

"A good one." _Better than mine_, she added silently.

"Well, you should meet everyone," he suggested. Mikan gave an enthusiastic nod. "Mikan, meet…"

As Tsubasa introduced the entire soccer team to his kohai, a boy watched from around the corner. _So this is where she was running off too… _he thought to himself. Jealousy rose in his throat, but he held his tongue and said nothing, just slipped away back to where he came.

In her head, she felt his presence wane, then disappear completely off the radar. Just to be sure, she sent a mental message to her trainer saying, _Is he gone?_ A nod answered her.

She felt relief, but at the same time, something unrecognizable. Fear. Pain. Worry. Regret. A lot of emotions that were just completely opposite from what she should've felt. Her trainer would surely call her soon, so she would have to leave the comfort of her senpai and his friends. Maybe they wouldn't even train today. She was strong enough now, with all the Alices she had and kept hidden, that maybe he would just send her out again. The only thing she really resented was that sometimes, she had to hurt others.

Soon, too soon, he called. The message he sent her was vague and brief, just like every other time. But she still knew that he was more soft around her than anyone else, not just because of who her father was. They had a bond, not a lovers' bond, but the kind that close siblings had. He genuinely cared about her, which was why he was always worried when she was away but tried to push her so she could defend herself because he knew she wouldn't leave. And Mikan knew that she really cared about him.

When she met him in the middle of the forest, her hair now tied in a high pony instead of her usual pigtails and a white butterfly mask covering half her face—her disguise for missions—she said, "Hi, Rei. Sorry I'm late."

He just gave a slight nod though a smile played behind his mask.

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**Author's Note**

**So how was it? If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to message me!**

**-Starlight Curse**


	2. She's different

**Hello! It's me again!**

**Thanks so much for the support!I really enjoy reading comments from readers**—** it's what encourages me to write more :)**

**I hope you all enjoy chapter 2 just as much as the first one (although it's also kinda long haha)!**

**Disclaimer: I think I forgot this in the first chap, and well, I'm not exactly sure how to just edit one word or anything, so here it is! I do not and will never own Gakuen Alice**—**as much as I would love to****,** **but I don't. Aww.**..

**Well, to the story!**

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She's different

_Sigh._

Mikan dragged herself up to her new special star room and plopped onto the bed with a huff. Training earlier that night had been short but tough, and right after that she had to go on another mission. It wasn't even Persona's call this time—it was the new ESP, Camilla Caro, who was kinda sweet, but also tough —which made it so much harder. But she still knew she was lucky.

Persona (which Mikan was close enough to for him to let her call him by his real name) never wanted her to get really hurt, but he knew she had to go on some missions, and that her stronger Alices would bring harder ones to her. Still, he would try to give her less dangerous ones most of the time. But sometimes there were ones that were very hard, ones only she could do. And worse, she always took them from others so _they _wouldn't have to do them.

This time, she only received few scratches from battling with the guards of the enemy, the AAO, and only some burn marks from the explosion. Those marks could be covered with the long sleeves of her uniform, but some of the scratches on her legs were gonna be harder to hide. She had noticed that, during the day, Natsume had seen the scar that ran across her collarbone, almost completely covered by the neckline of the shirt. He would definitely notice these.

As tired as she was from the successful mission, she knew that there was still something she had to do. She glanced in the mirror once to ensure that her mask was still on tight, then jumped out of her window without a second thought. Air blew past her as she fell from the top floor of the ten story building, but she just glided through and grabbed hold of one of the branches of the nearest cherry blossom tree and flipped around it, landing on top.

Then she took off towards the hospital.

When she arrived, Mikan felt cool and refreshed from gliding through the wind, jumping from tree to tree. The balcony door was left open and unlocked just for her to climb into. She couldn't help but say, "Rei," under her breath with a smile. That he knew she would be coming just proved how much he knew her now.

A woman lay down on the stiff hospital bed, but she didn't notice anything. She couldn't. Her coma was impossible to break through from the outside, and Mikan could hardly communicate from telepathy either (an Alice that she had copied). She was just like a lifeless body, a thought that only caused Mikan pain.

"Mom," she whispered.

Taking the seat beside the bed, Mikan placed her hand on top of her mother's and started to talk. Yuka wasn't able to hear, of course, but something about talking to her mother made the girl feel much better, like is should've been in a mother-daughter relationship. She used to be the girl everyone knew; the one who couldn't lie to save her life; the one who couldn't keep anything quiet for any long period of time. But now her life was full of secrets that she couldn't even share with her best friend.

It wasn't something she was proud of, but it wasn't something that was optional either.

-xox-

During the next day was probably the loudest and most ill behaving day for all the students. Most of the teachers were away on a business trip, and no student listened to the substitute teachers. The high schoolers didn't even bother to go to their classes and just did whatever they wanted. The elementary students were running around like madmen, causing havoc around the whole school.

And the middle school students were just plain misbehaving.

Some might have felt sorry for the teacher stuck with class 3A, who was tied up and was practically crying. But they just ignored him and did whatever they felt like for entire time.

The kids just played around with their Alices, goofing off, having fun. Mingling around with their friends was great for those teens, and it reminded them so much of when Narumi was their teacher back in elementary school. The boy with dark hair and crimson eyes looked bored with his manga put in front of him, but he could only wonder where a certain girl was and why she wasn't in the classroom.

"Hey, Natsume-kun, Ruka-san." Anna and Nonoko came up to their desk. "Do you know where Mikan-chan is?"

Ruka answered, "I don't know," the same time Natsume said, "How the hell should I know?" It would have caused everyone to laugh at the best friends' contrast with each other if only they weren't so worried about Mikan.

"She didn't even come back to class after lunch yesterday," a boy named Yuu, the class rep, said worriedly.

Suddenly, there was a crash outside the door, and the girl in question came bursting in, saying, "Sorry I'm late!" tripping over her own feet. Everyone laughed as she stumbled, but she just looked up, confused. "Where's Kashi-sensei?" she asked.

"There's an Alice teacher convention somewhere, so all the teachers aren't here today," Sumire, the girl with the cat-dog Alice explained.

"Oh," Mikan said, pulling herself up. She knew for a fact that not all the teachers were gone because she saw Persona that very morning, but of course she couldn't say so. Although, maybe Persona would hardly be considered a teacher since the dangerous ability class was 'terminated.'

"Where have you been, Mikan?" Anna asked her as they made their way to the back of the classroom.

Sitting down in her usual seat beside Natsume, Mikan gave a sheepish smile. "I, um, slept in a bit." She threw her arm up to scratch behind her head for good measure.

But they all seemed to buy her act. After all, it was just typical of the old Mikan to be late for class like she had always been before, so no one questioned it. Except the one who had nothing better to do than worry about her—**(no offense, Natsume. Don't kill the narrator. It's just, um, that you always seem to take things involved with her a little too deeply—ouch! Natsume says to get on with the story *sweat, sweat*)**

"What about yesterday? You didn't come back to class," Nonoko wondered.

"My mom wanted to see me," Mikan told them, making up another story. "Yesterday was just an introduction day, so I didn't have to stay the whole time."

"So, technically, this is your first official day," Ruka commented.

"And she was late!" said Kitsuneme loudly. Everyone laughed.

"Typical Mikan." But everyone couldn't help but smile.

Mikan sat back and closed her eyes, everyone else soon filing back to the front of the room after the supply teacher finally got out of his ties and ordered everyone to sit down (in which the kids had no choice but to tie him up again). She was so tired, yes, but she didn't sleep in late. After the mission the night before, she stayed by her mother's side until dawn, just talking and comforting, and trying to heal Yuka with her healing Alice to no avail. Then, in the very morning, the moment she made it back to her room, Persona called her to train since their last session was cut short by the mission.

Needless to say, she was exhausted.

Watching her out of the corner of his eye, Natsume noticed a few scratches and strange marks covering her thin legs. Without thinking first, he looked over to examine the cuts and said, "Hey. What happened to you?"

She tugged the edge of her skirt nervously. "On the way here, I tried to take a shortcut through the woods because I was going to be late for class, and I ended up getting lost. I tried to climb some trees to see where I was, but I kept falling down!" she lied with the kind of enthusiasm she used to use when telling others of her adventures.

While the rest of the class laughed, Natsume tensed. "Idiot," he said, remembering. "You shouldn't go through the forest by yourself. Persona still trains people. Just because missions aren't mandatory anymore, doesn't mean there aren't any. And there are still some crazy people here who actually _want_ to do them."

_You don't know anything about Rei or the reason some of my other friends do missions,_ Mikan thought to herself. She wanted to scream at him because he couldn't possibly understand the reason any of them went on missions now. A few people she'd met_ had _wanted to, but most were like her. They did them to protect those they cared about.

But instead, all she could say was, "Okay."

-xox-

For the rest of the class period, Mikan was silent. She didn't say a word until the bell rang, in which she seemed to wake up from a deep sleep as everyone dragged her to the lunch room. The boy who had sat beside her during class put his manga away, and started to walk out the door, almost being the last one out. Nobody had noticed he stayed on the same page of the book the entire time.

"Natsume," Ruka said, walking up behind his friend. "Do you want to head to the cafeteria with me?"

"I'm going to take a walk first. See you later, Ruka," he answered in what seemed like a plain tone to anyone else, but was actually a kind of code which meant he needed to think. Ruka nodded as he watched his friend round the corner.

All he could think about was that girl. She filled his mind with her smiles, her face, her smell, her voice. It wasn't something he could control, but this time, Natsume was wondering what he had said to make her a little upset. Her reaction was quick, but he saw it. When he told her to stay out of the forest, something flashed in her eyes, but all she said was "okay." Mikan had never been able to hide her emotions well before, so he wondered why she didn't yell at him to not tell her what to do like he expected. She was hiding something from him—from everybody—and he didn't like it.

_Maybe she just grew up,_ his mind suggested. Pondering that for a moment, he put his hand on the cafeteria wall and heard a crash come from inside and a scream yelling, "I didn't mean it, Permy! I'm sorry, I just fell!" and he quickly dismissed the idea. A clutz like her couldn't possibly be capable of finally growing up. Not in a million years.

He decided to walk back to get his lunch, sick and tired of thinking too much about her.

The moment Natsume stepped through the cafeteria door, he had the urge to punch a lot of people in the face. They probably would've already been burnt if he wasn't practically banned from using his Alice (because it threatened his life). A crowd of boys surrounded Mikan with drooling stares, but she didn't seem to mind it. Heck, she didn't even seem to notice! The stupid, dense girl wouldn't know a fan club if it hit her in the face (**Natsume's words, not mine—ow! Stop that, you idiot!**).

Sure, she did more beautiful now, if you ignored the scars. Her chocolate brown hair flew just at her waist in its ribbons; her eyes were wide and just spelled out _naïve_. But it was her smile that captivated everyone, even if she had her chopsticks put between her teeth. It'd be surprising if she _didn't_ have boys all over her, though one would certainly rather have it that way.

Walking up behind her, Natsume said, "Hey, Polka," and claimed the seat beside her, causing a whole lotta fan boys to fume.

Putting her lips into a pout, she said, "Natsume, where were you? They already put the lunches away."

"Then I'll just have to take some of yours," he replied, grabbing an extra pair of chopsticks and picking up an egg roll.

"Hey, Natsume!" Mikan started to protest, but he realized something about the size of her lunch.

"When did you become a special star?" he asked skeptically. She wasn't wearing a star pin or anything, and the last time she was at the academy, she had been a single star. The only other special in the middle school division at the moment was him.

"Oh. I just told Permy and the others too, before I bumped into her," she said. "Narumi-sensei recommended me to Camilla-chan, and she really liked me, so tada! Special me."

"It probably also has to do with your mom being a teacher here too," Natsume put in, picking up another egg roll and popping it into his mouth.

Her face fell for a second. Then, recovering fast, she stuck her tongue out at him, stealing the meatball from his chopsticks with her own. "My lunch, you meanie!"

Natsume thought about it for a second. Again, he did something to offend her and he didn't know what or why she was even trying to hide it. The Mikan he knew before would have yelled at him whenever he did anything that upset her the slightest bit, but now she just tried to hide her hurt and was teasing him by waving food in front of his face. So, brushing the thought aside, he plucked the meatball out from her chopsticks and stuffed it in her mouth. "Eat it, then."

A blush crept into her cheeks as her eyes widened, and the group of fan boys furiously started shouting at him. He ignored them.

But he also thought about how lucky he was that Hotaru wasn't there, because then he would've been blasted with her baka gun for sure.

-xox-

Lunch ended with a bang (thank God not literally), and the students went back to their classes (well, at least some). Until the final bell finally decided to ring, the substitute teachers knew better than to show themselves during class, so they were all hidden somewhere on campus. Little did they know that it just fueled the elementary children into playing Capture the Teachers.

The moment the classes ended, Mikan told her friends that she had something to do, so she couldn't go with them to Central Town. They were disappointed, but had already adapted to her being busy since she came back, and they just thought that it was because her mother now had a job here and that Mikan had to help her. Only Natsume questioned why none of them had seen Yuka yet.

Running fast, she asked Persona telepathically, _Is anyone there today?_ It was part of her new routine to check if anyone was following her before she got ready to go on missions or meet her trainer, and for him to answer yes or no. Of course, she could've checked herself, but it was much safer and accurate for him to, and Mikan trusted him. Sometimes presences didn't show up on her radar, so Persona was the best method. Today he shook his head.

When Mikan reached her room and got changed into her battle gear (all white, a ponytail, and her white mask), she took off to the middle of the forest, their meeting spot. Teleporting would've been the fastest way, but she didn't bother to waste any Alice energy which she always needed.

Persona stood in the middle of the perfectly round clearing. As soon as she saw him, she sighed. "A mission, Rei? And by the look on your face, a hard one."

Grimly, he nodded and started to brief her on it. "We found another pair of parents, but these ones are Alice-free, so you're going to have to be more careful. They're at one of the abandoned warehouses by the south river. You have to take them back to the academy safely."

She groaned inwardly. Mikan hated these kinds of missions, the ones where the AAO kidnap different academy students' parents and she has to rescue them. They had done a lot of these in the past and nobody knew what they were planning or why.

"Now, tell me the bad news," she said, knowing that was what he was holding off.

"Mikan," he said, his eyes stern through the mask. It almost surprised her that he was using her name during a briefing, because he usually only did when they were communicating through telepathy. Usually, he addressed her by her alias.

"Rei?"

Persona looked at her. "The bad news is that we had sent Kouta and Kimi on this mission before you, yesterday, and they failed."

"What?" Mikan screamed. The telepathic twins were some of her closest friends in what everyone thought was the terminated dangerous abilities class. And they also shared one of the same Alices she had, which they had let her copy from them. "Are they okay? What happened?"

"Don't be worried about other people," he muttered under his breath, but answered, "The twins are fine. But since this mission is a failed one, that means the AAO have tightened the security and are expecting you."

_Oh crap_, Mikan thought, but she just said, "That's alright. I can do it," not wanting her trainer to be worried about her. Pre-warned missions were always harder, and the fact that two of the strongest Alices she knew had failed meant that it was hard to begin with.

"Idiot," Persona stated in a cold tone. "This is going to be a dangerous mission, but the only one we can trust now to do it is you, the White Flower. Still, you have to be careful."

"Rei, you shouldn't have to worry about me," Mikan insisted. "You know that with all the Alices I have now, I should be fine."

He glared at her. "But everyone thinks that we should send someone with you, and the person who volunteered was Noba—"

"No!" she cut him off before he could even finish saying the name. "No way, Rei! You care about her too, so why would you even _think_ of sending her on this mission? I'll do this by myself."

"I knew you would say that." The phrase itself would've been like a sigh, but when it came out of Persona's mouth, it was more of a sharp accusation.

Mikan smiled. "I'll be back. No matter what, I'll come back, okay?"

Turning his back on the girl, he said, "It's a promise."

With a quick tug on her mask, Mikan leaped up, grabbing hold of a tree branch and flew up into the sky, disappearing in the night. As soon as she left, the man left in the clearing jumped into the one tree nearby where a girl sat silently.

Her icy blue hair fell down in small curls around her face, concealing a sad expression. Persona quickly picked her up and brought her back down to the ground, where he was sure she would be safe. It wasn't his idea for her to eavesdrop on the conversation from the tree, but the girl wanted to be sure of something. She had volunteered to help Mikan on her mission, and Persona had told her that there was no way in hell either of them would let her go. Still, she wanted to know why.

"Persona," she said, looking up at her friend. "Do you think Mikan-chan will be okay? I should've gone with her…"

"No," he said sharply. "Mikan will be fine. Neither of us want you to get hurt, but that doesn't mean she will."

"Mikan-chan…" the girl sighed, looking up into the sky.

"The White Flower will be just fine. She has your Alice, Nobara."

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Phew! Finally done. You know, when I was reading and not writing, it went a whole lot faster. **

**I finally got Nobara in, though maybe just a bit, but still! Yay! Hopefully You-chan can make his entrance soon, too :)  
**

**There might be a few mistakes here because I just really wanted to upload this chapter, so if there are, I'll fix them later.  
**

**Anyway, I hope you liked it! There's a whole lotta secrets in this fanfic (hence the title) but sooner or later, you'll know everything. ;)**

**Thanks!  
**

**-Starlight Curse  
**


	3. Where is that girl?

**Good morning everybody!**

**Actually, it's probably not morning by the time you read this, but ah well! Morning to me!**

**Hope you like this chapter :)**

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Where is that girl?

"What do you mean, Naru?"

The students of class 3A were sitting obligingly in their seats, surprising to everyone, but it wasn't just a normal day. Their teacher from elementary school, Narumi, was standing in the front of their homeroom class instead of their regular teacher, and he was telling them news about one of their friends.

"It means exactly what it sounds like," he answered the students' question matter-of-factly.

"But Mikan-chan wouldn't leave without saying goodbye!" Anna protested. The eighth graders all agreed.

"Now, now." Narumi put his hands out. "Mikan-chan will only be gone for a week, maybe more. It was a sudden trip—she didn't have time to say goodbye. But she'll be back soon."

"Aw, but she just came back, too…" Nonoko sighed. The class started to calm a little, most believing the story their old teacher had told them. But some had other thoughts.

"I can't read your mind!" Koko accused, throwing his arms up. "Lately, I've hardly been able to read any teachers' minds."

The teacher in the purple skinny jeans laughed. "That's right. It's mandatory for all teachers now to have an Alice stone that prevents mind-manipulations, which includes mindreading, Koko-kun."

"Why?"

"Because of many reasons." Narumi was vague which just made some more suspicious. But they didn't have time to argue because Kashi, the homeroom teacher, walked into the room and commanded all of the kids to take their seats (which, of course, just provoked some butt-kicking). That just gave Naru enough time to slip out of the room unnoticed.

Narumi sighed. He hated lying to the kids, especially since they deserved to know the truth about what happened to their friend. But Persona had told him to just say that she was away with her mother for now, at least until she recovered. In his own heart, he knew Persona was right. Mikan wouldn't have wanted any of her friends to worry about her, so all he could do was that.

And the students wouldn't understand why Mikan had to do what she did. They wouldn't understand that the teachers were wearing the protective Alice stones for a reason. To keep the things the normal kids (well, normal in this case) didn't need to know a secret.

The hospital was almost like a second home to him. Every single day, Narumi would come and visit Yuka, bring her flowers and tell her how her daughter was doing. Even though he knew Mikan had always come to visit her as well, Naru still didn't want his very first love to be lonely. Still, he wished he didn't have to visit for a totally different girl.

Room 633, he remembered. It wasn't very fancy or big, but it was perfectly hidden on the top floor so none of her friends could ever find her. They weren't supposed to know anything.

Standing in the doorway of the room gave his heart a little squeeze. The little girl he wanted to protect so badly lay limply on the hospital bed, cold and motionless. Scars and bruises covered every inch of her skin which was a very pale white, almost matching the small room's walls. A tube of air was connected to her nose because she was hardly breathing by herself. Needles poked out from her arms, connected to many different medications and blood packages. She'd lost so much during that mission.

"Mikan-chan." Naru's face was full of sadness as he walked up to the girl's bed and sat beside it. "I shouldn't have let you go… I shouldn't have let the academy contact you that very first day. It's all my fault, Mikan-chan. I'm sorry."

"Do you really think she wouldn't have done this if you hadn't called to check up on her and her mother?" a voice came from behind him. Narumi didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Maybe it was because he knew the voice too well nowadays, but maybe it was also because he knew that the man would be always be by her side, watching over his little flower.

"Persona," Narumi said, in a tone he'd been using too much lately. "Because of my call, Mikan-chan had found out about everything and decided to do this. I'm the one who informed her about the academy's problems."

The man in the white mask stepped out of the shadows. "This girl would have come to the academy anyways and found out, after her mother became one of the targets." Both of them knew too well that what he said was true.

The AAO had been targeting the parents of the academy's students lately, for reasons they did not know. Since missions were no longer mandatory, and they couldn't be forced on the kids anymore, hardly anyone would do the honors of rescuing them. Only those who wanted adrenaline, or who knew about the problems beforehand and wanted to help save them did missions. There were hardly any. And Yuka was one of the targets.

With Mikan's help, Yuka managed to escape the AAO's grasp, but she had been severely injured. That was about when Naru decided to call to check up on them. When he found out everything from a crying Mikan, he sent academy officials to pick them up right away to take them to Alice Academy. Yuka was placed in the hospital and Mikan found out everything about the academy's problems; from what the antiestablishment was doing to why the academy was hardly able to do anything. Mikan had suggested herself to help since she had collected a lot of Alices over the while, much to everyone's protest, but she had insisted. She absolutely wanted to help out as much as she could. So she was sent training with Persona.

During that time was when Mikan and Persona had formed their unbreakable bond. He saw her determination and lack of self interest, and no matter how hard he pushed her, she still tried her best. The girl refused to quit and tried her best to make Persona happy after she saw that he had a deep sadness within him. Though nothing was said, and no one could be sure what happened, somehow the two became like siblings over the course of one night.

Sadly, that's what made it harder for him to watch her suffer.

Since then, she'd been on many missions. Most of them were for retrieving kidnapped parents, but some were harder, and sometimes easier, but some missions only she could do with her multiple Alices. It was only decided recently that she would come back to the academy's normal classes, though technically, she'd been there all along.

"Mikan-chan…" Naru stroked her cheek softly. The slight contact had caused her to wince in her slumber, which made him make a face. "She seems so broken."

Persona clenched his fist. "That stupid girl. She had pushed herself so hard, fought so many people, just to complete the mission and bring the parents here. I still can't believe that she could still use any of her Alices to teleport them with all those wounds."

"But she did pass out as soon as she appeared in the DA classroom last night," Naru pointed out.

"You say that like it's a good thing," he growled.

"Of course not. But… I still don't get why she didn't try to heal herself at least. She does have that Alice, right?"

He nodded. "She does, but she never likes to use it on herself unless absolutely necessary. Remember when they came back, the girl told us to heal the parents because they had been caught in one of the small blasts? She made an Alice stone from her healing Alice for them although they were hardly injured, when she could've healed herself."

"Mikan-chan is that kind of girl," Naru said. "She cares about others before herself. I guess I'm not surprised she would never heal herself, either, since the reason she has that Alice is because she copied it. It's her form of redemption."

"A stupid, stupid one."

Naru rolled his eyes but he knew that Persona was just worried about her. "I told her friends that she went with her mother," he said, changing the subject. "It would actually be hitting two birds with one stone, since none of the kids can see Yuka-sempai yet."

_Horrible choice of words_, he thought, but just answered, "Good," going back to his emotionless tone.

A moment of silence passed over them as they heard a cough come from Mikan's lips, then she wavered, and fell back into her motionless rest. Worried looks glanced at the screen which, thank God, showed that her heart was still beating.

"Damn it," Persona growled. "When this girl wakes up, she's gonna be in so much trouble."

-xox-

"Um… Is he okay?"

In the middle school division, class 3A, the students were all standing back watching a deadly aura resonate off of the one boy who was sitting in his seat. One word came to all of their minds: scary.

_That damn Naru_, he cursed to himself. Maybe he had his feet up on the desk and hands behind his head with eyes closed like he was relaxing, but with twitching eyebrows and a deadly aura, his classmates couldn't help but think otherwise. Natsume was just plain pissed that he didn't have time to question Narumi about Mikan before he slid out of the classroom. He didn't believe for a second that what he told them was true.

"'I should've grabbed Naru and tortured it outta him while I had the chance. There's no way Mikan would've left without telling me—'" Koko started to quote Natsume's thoughts, being the always smiling idiot he was. Everyone held their breaths.

But Natsume's eyes just snapped open and he glared at his friend with eyes deadlier than fire. "Can it, Yome," he growled.

The boy, still grinning like an idiot, put his hands up and said, "I'm going to run out of the room screaming now," and did just that, yelling about how some evil red-eyed monster was going to eat him. The class could only stare at what seemed to be a trail of Koko's intense stupidity.

"Natsume…" Ruka said, looking at his friend. He knew that his friend was worried and he was too.

"Hn," was his answer as he stood up and walked out of his seat. Pausing at the open window, Natsume said, "Ruka," and jumped out. The whole class screamed and went to the window to look down, except Ruka, who just stayed in his seat with Usagi. Natsume was already walking away, five stories below, completely unharmed as his friend knew he would be.

Sumire just laughed her haughty laugh and said, "Of course, Natsume-sama would be okay after jumping out of the window."

The class rolled their eyes.

-xox-

_Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!_ Natsume was growling to himself, seriously pissed off. He'd looked everywhere for her, but she was nowhere to be found. But for some reason, he couldn't help but feel that she was still on campus. That Naru had lied to them again.

Plopping down beside the big cherry blossom tree in front of the ES building, _their_ tree, he sighed inwardly. Something was wrong, but he just couldn't figure out what.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Yay, yay! I'm finally done the third chapter!**

**I'm sorry if this one's a little short**—** the next chapter is supposed to be a little long, so this one had to be cut.  
**

**Anyway, just stay tuned for the next update!**

**Want a clue to what it's about? The title is _Her reunion._**

**New characters might appear :D_  
_**

**Look forward to it!**

**-Starlight Curse  
**


	4. Her reunion

**Woo! Another chapter!  
**

**It's me here, super excited for the upload of this chapter. I had a really fun time writing it :)  
**

**I spent a long time trying to make this a good chapter, so I hope you like it!**

**Oh, and just to let you know, sometimes the italics will mean a flashback, but sometimes they will mean telepathic conversations. **

**And sometimes they will mean thoughts, of course :)  
**

**To the story!**

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Her reuinion

The first thing she saw was thin strips of light streaming through the striped window curtains of the balcony's glass doors. It bounced off the white floors and walls and furniture, reflecting them into brilliant rays of sunlight, warming her pale skin. She smiled.

The first thing she _felt_ was the pain. The aching, bone-shattering, everywhere-sore, killing pain. She gasped out, shocked at how much her whole body hurt. Before she had passed out, everything was bearable and she hardly felt anything. Now the adrenaline was gone and the pain was present.

She remembered what happened. There were the young parents, only in their mid-twenties or so, with their Alice child in kindergarten. Just like Persona had warned her, the security was tight around them, more guards and traps and protection. Somehow she had managed to get through the traps with only a few cuts, but battling the guards was harder. She was reluctant to hurt them at first, but there were so many, and she had to remind herself that most of those people were bad. That they were responsible for what happened to her mother.

Still, she felt bad for killing so many.

When she reached the caged area is when most of the injuries came. That was because she had to stay in front of the parents at all times, not letting any attacks hurt them. If it weren't for the Alice barriers and chains, she would've been able to teleport out beforehand, but it was what it was.

What came next was the explosion. There almost always was one in each of the parent retrieving missions (PR missions). Except this time, the father and mother, even with no Alices, had been kind-hearted and were thinking too much of what happened to their rescuer.

A hand came down beside her bed. "Mikan, are you okay?"

She looked up, ignoring the shutter that went through her, and smiled at him. "Rei." Then she remembered something. "The parents," she said. "Are they okay? I hadn't meant for them to get hurt in that blast—I didn't expect them to try to save me."

Something flashed in Persona's eyes as he said, "You stupid girl."

"What was that for, Rei?" she protested.

"They aren't the ones who almost died. You are." That was when Mikan realized all the tubes and cords connecting her to the buzzing machines beside her. Persona continued to glare. "When you came back, blood was covering your entire body—"

"It wasn't all mine," Mikan pointed out.

He ignored her. "And they hardly had a scratch. Only the father took a slight burn on his arm when he tried to protect you, but that's it. You're the one who had a broken leg, extreme blood loss, and knife cuts and bullet skims all over you. Mikan, you protected them with your life, you almost _died_, but when you first woke up, you smiled." Persona's exasperated look was as if to asked, _Why?_

Mikan looked away from him for a second. She knew he was just worried about her, but she didn't know how to answer his question. The smiles had just come natural to her, more before, but still. Back then, when she didn't have to worry about all of the secrets _she_ kept instead of the ones kept from her, she smiled a whole lot.

So all she could say was, "I don't know."

Without even looking up, Mikan felt Persona stir. She felt his anger rise up, then calm, then felt it as he took a deep breath.

"People are here to see you," he said finally, stepping back.

She looked up, alarmed. "I don't want to see any of them like this. Do they know I'm here? Do they know about—"

"Relax, Mikan," Persona said, a faint smile on his lips. "Your friends of Class 3A believe you went on a business trip with your mother. These are your other friends."

With that, he disappeared, seeming to lose himself in the night. The corners of her lips tugged. Then the door cracked open and two of the people she wanted to see so badly were walking into her room.

Her smile widened. "Kimi! Kouta! You're okay!"

The girl laughed her bell-like laugh. Her brother just rolled his eyes and said, "We can't really say the same thing for you."

Kimi was a small girl, around Mikan's stature, but with long, glowy blond hair that sparkled like moonlight and sunlight together. Kouta, her fraternal twin, was just the same except his hair was much shorter. They both had eyes more gold than the whole 24 karats itself, and nobody could look at them without thinking they were beautiful.

The twins were the same age as Mikan, only discovered by the academy not too long after Mikan left (she often met with the members of the secret dangerous abilities class, and Kouta and Kimi were some who she really liked). People had mistaken their knowing of what the other was thinking as a twin quality, but when they started to move objects around with their mind in public is when they finally understood it as an Alice. Their family hid them for a long time, but were discovered anyway and taken to the academy. Of course, they could've ran and escaped, but the children decided it was a good opportunity to train and work with their powers.

When their parents were kidnapped by the AAO was when they first learned about the secret class. Of course, they wanted to join and save their parents, but since they were newbies and needed to receive more training with Persona before their first mission, they weren't allowed to go. They fought and struggled and yelled, but it was no use. The decision was final.

That was about when Mikan visited the academy for another briefing. She overheard the twins screaming about wanting to go save their parents, so Mikan offered to do it. By that time, she'd already been on many missions, but that was her first PR mission. Still, after seeing how miserable the twins were, she promised to do her best.

"_I promise I'll bring your parents back," she had said. _

_Kimi sniffed. "Thank you. Thank you, Mikan."_

_Kouta clenched his fist. "I should go with you…"_

"_No," Mikan said with a smile. "I'm a professional at this. You shouldn't worry about me. I'll be back as soon as possible. I'll be back with your parents, okay?"_

"_Okay," they answered at the same time. Mikan giggled._

"_But, Mikan," Kimi said. "Your Alices… You also have the ISEC, right?"_

_Her eyebrows shot up. "How did you know that?"_

"_Persona told us," Kouta answered. _

_Kimi wacked her brother on the arm. "Ask her!"_

_He glanced back at his sister before turning to Mikan. "We wanted you… to copy our Alices."_

"_Oh, that's okay. I don't need to," Mikan told them._

"_No! You should!" Kimi insisted. "We have the telepathy Alices."_

"_Telepathy?"_

_Kouta nodded. "It should help you. It may be hard to use at first, but you're probably used to coping. You could talk to us if you need help, and tell our parents that you're there to help them. They're very useful…"_

"_Are you sure?" _

"_Yes," they answered together._

_Mikan smiled. She placed her hands in theirs and let the light glow around them, gaining another Alice. "Thank you," she said._

Just like she had promised, she had brought back their parents. Of course, her body was covered in injuries, but Mikan felt proud of herself. She was definitely glad to have helped the twins.

Kimi carried herself to Mikan's bedside and put her hands on hers. "I'm sorry, Mikan. Because we failed, it made the mission so much harder for you."

"Don't be silly!" Mikan said. "I'm just glad you guys came back okay."

"Thanks to the teleportation Alice you gave to us," Kouta pointed out. "That was the only way I was able to get Kimi out of there."

"It goes well with your telepathy Alices. And your new light Alices." She felt them smile at their newly discovered one. "Besides," she added. "You guys gave me an Alice too, so it was the least I could do."

Rolling her eyes, Kimi said, "The next mission, we're not going to let you go by yourself. Together we're unstoppable!"

Mikan laughed, which caused her to cough a little. The twins hovered around her, saying, "Mikan, are you okay?"

She was going to wave an arm at them, but thought better of it. Instead, she said, "I'm okay. I'll heal up in no time!"

It was Kouta's turn to roll his eyes. "Persona knew that you probably weren't going to heal yourself right away. That's good because that means you won't be put on any more dangerous missions for a while, but bad because you're keeping the pain."

"Yeah, that's why _we're_ going to heal you!" Kimi tried her best to sound enthusiastic, but Mikan looked unconvinced. "Okay, well not us, but Sora's gonna do it."

Her eyes lit up. "Sora's coming?" Mikan hadn't seen him in such a long time. When she was away, he was home, and when he was away, she was always home. Their schedules never matched.

Kimi laughed at her friend's enthusiasm. "He'll be here soon. Once we told him you got hurt, he said he was going to finish up his latest mission fast and hurry back to see you."

"Anything concerning you would get him back in a sec," Kouta chuckled.

Mikan blushed. She really did miss him. Sora and her had this tight brother-sister (or what Mikan thought of it) relationship, even though she had a little girl crush on him before. He had three natural Alices (two of which she copied from him): the wind Alice, the healing Alice, and the angel Alice, all of them were very rare, especially the last.

The angel Alice was extremely unique, and the one he was mostly know for. It gave him the power to communicate with the stars, and the power to fly—using angel wings. Feathery and white like an angel's, they were very useful to him during missions. The reason he was in the DA class was just because he wanted to protect the students of the academy.

He was the same age as Mikan and crew, though most of the time he was the one who acted responsible in the group (well, not like anyone else bothered). Sora was the kind of guy everyone couldn't help but like, the one who could make everyone smile (like Mikan could) with his happy-go-lucky attitude. Like most of the DA class (including the twins), he didn't attend regular classes. Persona taught them all they needed to know.

"There's also someone else who wants to see you," Kimi said with a smile. Turning to the door, she called, "Come on in!"

Mikan watched with curiosity as the door opened. In walked the girl with curly blue hair and a shy smile on her face. "Nobara-chan!"

Nobara walked up to Mikan slowly. "Mikan-chan. Are you okay?"

"Of course!" she answered. "How are _you _feeling now? Better?"

She nodded. "I'm okay."

"Nobara was really worried about you," Kimi told Mikan. "She also came to visit you all the time when you were unconscious the past few days."

A blush crept onto her cheeks. "I… I should've went with you."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Mikan gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

"Barely," muttered Kouta. Mikan shot him a look.

"Nobara-chan, you shouldn't worry about me," Mikan said.

She nodded again, though both of them knew that it wasn't something so easily agreeable. Mikan took her other hand and put it over Nobara's, giving it a little squeeze.

All of a sudden, Kouta's head perked up. He looked over to his sister who seemed giddy all of a sudden, too. Mikan and Nobara exchanged glances, feeling a little out of the loop, when a voice came into Mikan's head.

_Hey, Mikan._

"Sora!" she yelled aloud, overjoyed. The others looked at her funny, but she was too happy to care. Her grin was so big that it made the twins laugh. Kimi nudged her.

Mikan closed her eyes and focused her mind on her telepathy Alice so she could return his greeting. _Sora! Where are you? Are you coming now? Are you okay? How was the mission?_

A low chuckle answered her questions. She felt warmed to hear that familiar voice. _So many questions at once. I missed you, you little blabbermouth. _

_I missed you, too. It seems like forever since we last talked._

_Yeah. Lately there've been so many missions, and with you joining regular classes, we've hardly been able to see each other. _

_Sorry._

_Don't be, Mikan. It's not your fault. You just wanted to be able to see your friends again. I understand._

_Come here soon, okay, Sora?_

_I'm almost there. The wind's so strong, it's like I'm gonna get blown away!_

_Stop joking! Remember last time you took me flying, and we actually did get blown away? We landed in the lake, and your wings were so wet that we had to wait an hour before we could fly back!_

He laughed. _Persona was sooo pissed._

Mikan opened her eyes and rolled them, but she sent him one final message: _I can't wait to see you soon._

She could feel him smile.

"Aren't you so glad you gave him the telepathy Alice, too?" Kimi joked. She hadn't been a part of the previous telepathic conversation, but it was clear that there had been another Sora-Mikan exchange. They always had a lot of those.

"I am," Mikan said. She was now so happy that she almost didn't feel any pain when her cheeks dimpled. Mikan had given the telepathy Alice to him when he first joined the DA class, only about a month after her meeting with the twins. Persona had assigned them to work together on a mission, and after that, they became real partners, always working with each other. Together, they were the best team, so in sync, and always knowing the other's next actions. But as they got better, there had been less double missions and they were hardly ever sent together anymore. It was upsetting to both, but they knew it was for the best.

"He really missed you, Mikan," Kimi told her. That made the girl smile even more.

"Yeah," Kouta agreed. "Since your separation, he's always got us watching over you. Asking us how you've been doing and such. It's extremely annoying, but it just goes to show you how much he cares."

"His wings have also grown," Kimi said. "You should see them! Well, I guess you're going to, but still. They're so beautiful and fluffy. Being an angel matches him perfectly, don't you think, Mikan?"

Mikan laughed, but inside, she couldn't agree more.

Nobara tugged on Mikan's hand. She was so happy to see her friend smile so much. It was understandable; Sora and Mikan hadn't been able to be in the same room for almost a month! Even though Mikan chose not to show it, Nobara knew her friend was sad in their time apart.

Then something blew the balcony door open.

Fighting the urge to jump out of her bed and run to the window, Mikan sat back on the bed, pulling herself up. She knew who it was; this was the same way he entered when he first came. He was always one who liked to make a show of things. Mikan waited expectantly for him to come in.

The very first thing that she saw land on the balcony was white and shone light the moon and stars. Fluffy feathers flew in, swirling around the room, making the four teens inside watch in awe. Kimi was right; his wings were definitely bigger. There was no way he would be blown away by a strong wind now. They looked so much softer than she remembered, and considering that they were angel wings, they were soft to begin with.

His face showed a big smile as he looked at her, and it was as if every muscle in her body was loosened. With dark brown hair and his big blue eyes, the white wings that sprouted from his back seemed even lighter in contrast. Mikan couldn't stand the silent smiles anymore, so she yelled, "Sora!"

"Hey, little white flower," he teased. Sora folded his wings as he came into the room and stood beside his favorite girl's bed. As his eyes looked over her injuries, his eyes narrowed. But he didn't let it show that he was worried, because he knew how much that upset her. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine!" Mikan answered cheerfully.

"Yeah, I'm sure you feel just as good as you look," he said.

She pouted. "Sora, that's not a very nice way to greet me after all this time."

He laughed. "How about this?" he asked, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek. "You know, it looks like you've actually grown a few millimeters."

Mikan rolled her eyes, though she was actually overjoyed to hear him joke around again. And her cheek tingled from his kiss. "I love your wings. They're so pretty."

"I was trying to grow them for a while now. You know, so I could take you flying again and we won't get blown away by such a small wind." He gave her a sheepish smile.

"Aww!" Kimi gushed. "He grew them out for _you_!" Sora and Mikan shot her a look. "Sorry, sorry!" Kimi put up her hands. "I was just saying!"

Sora just laughed, turning back to Mikan. "Kimi seemed so much more excited about our reunion than we were."

"No kidding," Mikan laughed with him.

"Now let's get you fixed up," he said, pretending to put on fake glasses and look through a clipboard. "What's the diagnostics, doc?" The other four teens laughed.

_White Angel, just heal the White Flower already!_ a voice commanded into all of their minds.

"Yes, sir, Persona!" Sora straightened up and put his hand like a salute on his head. They all felt Persona roll his eyes.

"He's right, though, Sora," Kouta hinted.

"Oh shush, you all know how much we missed Sora's lame jokes," Mikan said.

Sora pretended to look hurt. "That's not very nice, Mikan!"

Everyone laughed, proving her point.

"Here, Mikan," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders, joking tone gone. She winced slightly, which made him make a face. "Close your eyes, okay? This might hurt a little, since your left leg looks broken, and when it shifts back into place…"

"It's okay, Sora. It's not like I've never broken anything before."

He frowned at that, but otherwise didn't answer. Closing his own eyes, he focused all his energy on her. A white light seemed to circulate around them, making the other three in the room step back. There was a low moan from Mikan as her injuries started to recover. Sora's wings had pulled open and were wrapping themselves around the two. The bright light bubbled and swirled, then popped with a big flash.

When the light disappeared, Mikan's wounds were gone.

"Oh, thank goodness," she sighed. "I can finally lift up my arm." To make a point that she was fine, Mikan pushed herself up and crossed her legs. That made her wince a little, but she hardly showed it.

"You still have to be careful, Mikan," Sora said. "Your injuries were really deep so they might hurt for a little while, just a bit."

"It's okay," she said with a smile. This time it hardly put any pressure on her stiff cheeks. "I know the drill."

"Psh, I know, huh?" Kimi said with a laugh. "My arm's still sore from our mission, and Imai healed us yesterday."

"Deep wounds like broken bones always hurt, but it's still so much better than having the full pain," her brother agreed.

Sora frowned. "You guys seem to be used to getting hurt."

At that, the three of them turned to smile at him. "What did you expect, Sora?" That made him laugh.

"It's not really fair… that you are the ones who have to bear the pain." Nobara's voice was so quiet that it was barely audible. But of course they heard it.

"Don't be ridiculous, Nobara!" Kimi exclaimed.

"We really don't mind it," Kouta put in.

"We're already used to it anyway," Mikan said in turn.

Rolling his eyes, Sora said, "It's like Mikan is a triplet."

"Duh," the three laughed.

Nobara looked at each of them. She seemed to think about something, when Mikan said, "Nobara-chan, I'm glad I joined the DA class. That way I'm friends with everyone here."

"Ex_act_ly!" Kimi and Kouta agreed.

Everyone smiled in agreement.

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**Author's Note**

**I'm so happy I could finally upload chapter 4! Yay!**

**Do you like Kimi and Kouta? Do you think Sora is awesome (I sure do!)?**

**Oh, and about Nobara. I can't tell you exactly why everyone is worried about her, but you'll find out soon enough ;)**

**If you have any questions or comments or such, don't hesitate to ask! I'll try my best to answer without giving anything away.**

**See you in the next chapter! :D**

**-Starlight Curse  
**


	5. What's wrong with her?

**Hi everyone!**

**Hopefully I didn't make any of you wait too long for this chapter. I tried my best to finish it quick.  
**

**I would really like to thank all of the people that reviewed**—**they really pushed me to do my best!**

**To **_Kylee-Cat_**: I totally agree with you! ;) *wink wink nudge nudge*  
**

**Thank you so much to everyone! :D  
**

**Anyway, here's number five!**

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What's wrong with her?

It was one week later, and Mikan still hadn't returned with her mother. Of course, Natsume never believed for a second that she was actually off campus; he kept feeling her presence somewhere, but he could never pinpoint the exact location.

Class was a bummer, and since Mikan wasn't there, Natsume felt no need to go back anymore. He just sat in his new favorite cherry blossom tree in front of the middle school building and closed his eyes, just like the very first day she came back. Just like he had every day since she left.

-xox-

_Mikan, Mikan. Are you sure you're ready to go back?_

The girl fastened the bows securely on her head, holding her dark brown hair in high pigtails. Her uniform fit perfectly on her, and the red color of the plaid skirt matched her red ribbons. She took one last look in the mirror before heading out.

_Yeah, I'm ready._

_Sora only healed you three days ago, y'know. You could totally just tell Persona you still feel a little sick and can't go back yet. _

_I've already been resting long enough, Kimi. I'm totally fine!_

_Sure. _

_Really! _

_Fine, but if you feel sick, even a little bit, call me and Kouta and we'll pick you up, okay?_

_Okay. But I'll be fine. The only reason I stayed back that long anyway was because Sora didn't have any missions, and I wanted to hang out with him._

_I know. He was so sad when he had to go to the US for a mission. It's just so sweet!_

_Yeah. I'm going to miss him._

_Oh, shush, you know he's gonna hurry back as soon as he can to be with you, Mikan._

… _I know. _

_Well, have fun today! I'll see you later for our first joined mission in months!_

_It's gonna be so fun! I'm really excited!_

_Yeah. Just don't screw up during the day and Persona's actually gonna let us go through with it. _

_Even that's a maybe._

_Nah. He's gonna have to._

'_Cause even Rei doesn't want to get on your bad side, Kimi._

_Psh. Ooh, the cat boy's sitting in the tree. _

_Don't call him the cat boy!_

_Don't screw up!_

_Let me get back to it and I won't._

_Right. Bye, Mikan! Good luck!_

_Bye_, she said, feeling the connection cut off. Mikan spotted his new tree. She knew that he was worried about her and wouldn't go back to class; Persona had told her. That made her worry and was the reason she wanted to get back to class so fast. She always knew he wouldn't believe the academy's lies, especially coming from Naru.

So, putting the biggest smile on her face, she walked into plain sight, facing whatever was coming at her.

-xox-

_Tap, t-tap, tap, tap._

That sound. Light, dainty footsteps in a skipping pattern… Natsume's eyes popped open and he sat up quickly, scanning the ground below him. There she was, a big smile on her face, a light spring to her step, and—

Ugh. Her hair was tied in those pigtails.

Jumping off where he sat up in the tree thirty feet high, Natsume landed beside her with a thump and said, "Hey."

Mikan's face lit up immediately, in a way so obvious it almost made him roll his eyes. "Natsume!"

"Where have you been?" he asked before she could say anything else.

Her brows crinkled in confusion. "Whaddaya mean? I thought I asked Narumi-sensei to tell you guys I was leaving with my mom."

"And you didn't tell us yourself?"

"It was a sudden trip. I hardly had time to pack!"

"Where did you go?"

"The academy branch in America. English was so hard to understand!"

"What did you do?"

"Ah, Mom had to sign some papers and stuff, and meet with the other employers. Most of the time it was soooo boring. I just sat in the waiting room, or tried to mingle with the other kids."

"When did you get back?"

"Just this morning. Mom said I didn't have to go to school right away, but I wanted to see you guys."

He blinked but didn't waver. "Where's your mom?"

"She had to go back. Another trip. This time I didn't have to go."

"Why?"

"Because it was so boring!"

"What—"

"Natsume!" she cut him off. "What's with the twenty questions?"

Realizing how much he was pressing her, he stepped back and started to walk. "Let's go to class, Polka."

Mikan pouted. "What's with that nickname? I've grown up from polka dots, ya know."

The boy couldn't help but think that she grew up more than just from wearing childish underwear.

Skipping up beside him, Mikan started to chat away. "So what's new at the academy?" He didn't answer. "When we were at the one in America, I noticed that they had different classroom styles. And the campus was so differently gardened, with the buildings in different places, I got lost!"

Even though Natsume's face remained bored and indifferent, he was glad to hear one of her wacky can-only-happen-to-Mikan stories, which just proved that she was still the same useless girl. It made him, well, sort of… happy**.**

"…and Mom was so mad at me! I don't even know what I did wrong!" Mikan continued, her arms waving. "I mean, it wasn't my fault the one boy's Alice ran out of control and pushed me into the pond. Her dress survived after we got it dry cleaned, but she wouldn't let me live it down for the rest of the trip!"

Smirking, Natsume said, "Here," gesturing to the door. She came up beside him and they were about to walk in at the same time, when…

_Splash!_

The entire class gasped. There, standing in the doorway, was Mikan and Natsume. But what caught their attention most was that they were soaked, head to toe, with a bucket of water that just fell down when they opened the door

Behind them, the two troublemakers said, "Oh, _crap_!"

Immediately, Natsume lifted his face to glare at Koko and his 'brother' in crime, Kitsuneme, who looked horrified. Kitsu quickly just hopped out of the window using his flying Alice, and Koko called out the window, "Hey, don't leave me behind, you jerk!"

He looked back to Natsume for a second and said, "I am now going to run out of that door screaming." Koko put up his hands and bolted through where Mikan and Natsume had just walked in, screaming like a mad idiot. The class would've rolled their eyes if they weren't so terrified of what the one boy was going to do.

But then they noticed Mikan beside him who just smiled and said, "Good morning, everyone!"

"Mikan! You're back!"

Rushing up to greet her, all of the girl's friends started to shout out greetings and such. She just answered them with a smile, saying the same kinds of things from when Natsume interrogated her. Then she looked around the room and asked, "Where's Kashi-sensei?"

"He's at an Alice meeting," Permy explained. "All the teachers just got called down for one. The two idiots were waiting for him to walk back in the door, so they set up that trap for him."

"You should feel lucky that Iinchou convinced them to use water," Mochiage said.

"What were they…?" Mikan started, but she saw the class shudder, so she decided to drop it. "So it's a free period? Good time for me to come back then." She grinned, squeezing the water out of her hair.

"How was the trip?" Nonoko asked her.

"It was lots of fun!" Mikan enthused, launching into a story about how the one English kid there was trying to figure out that she was trying to ask him where the bathroom was. Natsume just pretended to ignore her and walked to the back of the room to sit beside Ruka.

"Natsume…" the boy with the bunny said.

"Tch. Next time I see Yome and Kitsu, I swear I'll kill them."

"Aw, damn!" a voice from the window groaned. By the time everyone had a chance to glance over at the window, Kitsuneme already flew away.

"Those idiots," the class muttered.

-xox-

Just like Persona had promised, Mikan was able to do a partner mission with Kimi and Kouta that night. But just because they were now considered professionals and were going on a three-man scout, Camilla had to assign them a difficult one. It's not like they'd never done a harder mission by _themselves_ (because they totally had) but it's just that it would take a long time to get there—unless they used their teleportation, but that would just waste energy.

"Man, I hate it when we have to travel for these damn things," Kouta complained, fidgeting in his seat.

"Really?" his sister asked. "I love plane rides."

Laughing, Mikan pointed out, "You only like the food on the plane, Kimi. Every single time we go you stuff your face with sweets."

Kouta groaned. "I can't believe you can actually _eat_ on this thing."

"Psh. That's only because you're scared, my brother." Kimi rolled her eyes and grabbed for another egg roll from the academy's private jet's food buffet. "I don't know how I'm related to you."

"Is that the only reason?" Mikan laughed. "Everyone who meets you say that you're completely opposite."

"I'm not scared!" Kouta shouted, and Mikan and Kimi giggled in response.

"Just be glad that the academy offers us this kind of private transportation instead of sending us on a train or making us find our own way," his sister said.

"They kind of have to."

"No. They don't kind of have to do anything. They just do."

"They just don't want their students to get lost."

"Yeah!"

"But otherwise, they wouldn't care."

"No! The academy does care, Kouta!"

"Do you really believe that?"

"Yes!"

"Well, I don't, Kimi."

"They do! They cared enough to not let us go on a mission before we were ready. They care enough to keep the DA class secret from the other students so they don't worry. They—"

"And they let us do all the hard work?"

"No! We _volunteered_ to do it!" Kimi was starting to get really frustrated.

Kouta clenched his fist. "This academy just—"

"Stop it!" Kimi yelled, jumping out of her chair. Mikan sat uncomfortably in her seat. She had seen the twins fight before, but this was a little much of a big one. "Why are you going so far to diss the academy, when all they did was train us and feed us and give us another home to stay in, with all of our friends?"

"Because it's hurting you!" Kouta shouted. His face showed a mixture of pain and anger, and he seemed really upset. "Not only just in the last mission, but many before that too! You always come back hurt, Kimi, and I hate having to see you like that! Last time you almost died—" He choked at the end.

Kimi's eyes filled with tears. "That's why? You're worried about me?" She ran over and threw her arms around her brother's neck, watery lines rolling down her cheeks. "God, you _idiot_. Don't you think it bothers me, too? That you have to protect your little sister every single time, and the only reason you ever get hurt is because of me?"

"Don't be silly—"

"No!" Kimi pulled back a bit to look at her brother. "It's true! It's all true. I'd run away with you, we'd go back home and grow up peacefully away from the academy, but…"

"But we can't," he finished for her. "We can't leave the other students here, and their parents either. We have to…"

Kimi laughed a laugh that was mixed with sadness. "We have to be like Mikan."

Mikan looked shocked. How did the conversation suddenly turn to her? "Um, what are you guys…?"

The twins just grinned, wiping off some tears and going over to hug the other girl with them. "Mikan…"

Burying her face in the other's hair, Kimi whispered, "You're here, even though you don't have to be."

"You work your butt off to help the other students," Kouta said in turn.

"You never complain even though you get the hardest missions."

"You always put others first."

"You only do them to protect those important to you."

"You care so much for saving the parents from the AAO."

"You push yourself to the limit to protect others."

"You always smile even though everything's hard for you."

"You love to make people happy."

"You—"

"Guys!" Mikan urged, embarrassed, which just made the other two laugh.

"Mikan," Kimi sighed. "Don't you know that you're our inspiration?"

"What do you mean?"

"We mean that you're the one who made us want to stay at the academy and help people," Kouta explained.

"You're staying at the academy for me?" Mikan asked, suddenly aggravated. "No! You guys should go, I'll handle myself, and take your missions. Both of you should—" She was cut off by the sound of two bell-like laughs trilling through the plane.

"See?" Kouta said. "You care more about others than yourself."

"It's not that we're staying here _for_ you, 'cause God knows that you're more of a help to us that the other way around." Kimi gave her a look. "But we're here because we want to help others too. We want to save other kids' parents like you saved ours."

"That was the day we decided it," Kouta told her. "When you brought them back to the academy—not even to the higher ups first, but to _us_. You were all wounded and everything. But you worked so hard on bringing them back, just because you saw me and Kimi upset."

Kimi smiled at her. "You wanted to just help us."

"You got nothing in return, yet you were smiling on your hospital bed because _you_ helped _us_." Kouta shook his head. "Kimi was the one bawling her eyes out, and she wasn't even the one who was hurt."

"Hey! I wasn't _bawling_," Kimi defended herself.

Mikan smiled, causing the tears that rimmed her eyes to spill. She remembered what Persona had asked her about why she smiled when she first woke up. She had told him that she didn't know, just thought that it was because she liked to smile. But what the twins said had just given Mikan her answer: she smiled because she was _glad_. Glad that the parents were okay, glad that she helped another child's mom and dad—glad that she would live to see another day. There were kids who _died_ on missions, and she was lucky to escape. Even with broken bones, nothing made Mikan happier than just living life knowing she could help another family.

As she watched the twins quarrel, she just smiled through her tears and whispered, "Thank you."

They turned to her and started to protest that they should be thanking her, but Mikan just buried her shoulder in them and cried—for the very first time in what seemed like forever, she could finally let the tears that mattered out.

The three of them stayed together for the rest of the plane ride.

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**Author's Note**

**Well, there's the end of this chapter. Finally, huh?**

**For some reason, I always make my chapters so long. Haha, I guess I'll have to work on that.  
**

**Next chap, I'm going to show you kind of what happens during a mission for Mikan.**

**It will actually be sort of different than her others, though, because... Um, you'll find out soon! ;)**

**It's going to be really important!  
**

**Please review if you gotta minute! Comments, good or bad, are always nice to hear. **

**Thanks for reading! :)**

**-Starlight Curse  
**


	6. Her mission

**Finally! Here it is!**

**Chapter 6, here we come!**

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Her mission

_Not human_. Those were the words that were bothering her. Persona had said before that more than half the people working for the AAO were not human. Whether it was because they worked for the wrong side (the ones trying to hurt innocents) or because of some other reason, Mikan found herself thinking about it all the time.

What could Persona have possibly meant, saying that the soldiers weren't even part of their own species? Mikan had mentioned before what Persona had told her to Kimi and Kouta, and they found it slightly puzzling too. But how else could the AAO have unlimited numbers? Maybe they were robots; Mikan didn't know, and it was bugging the crap out of her. Of course, _this_ was the one piece of information that her trainer decided not to tell her. All he had said was that she shouldn't feel bad for destroying so much of the Anti-Alice Organization's guards because they weren't even human.

And Mikan couldn't think of anything else but crazed robots moving around with beeping eyes.

_Great. Just great. Thanks, Rei,_ she thought, shivering.

The last thing she needed to think of was a robot invasion, when all the hell in her own messed up life wasn't even close to solved yet, either.

-xox-

She jumped off the roof, landing without a sound. With agility that surpassed a cat's, she crept though the shadows to the other side, running ahead. She could feel the presence of many people in the big building, but she let the other girl count. In her mind, she felt a voice confirm, _There are 1500 inside, 500 out._

_It's such a small army. Seems a little too easy_, she noted back.

_Small?_ the other voice asked incredulously._ What kind of missions does Persona even send you on?_

_Oh, nothing harder than yours_, Mikan answered quickly.

_Psh, yeah right, Mikan_, Kimi thought back, rolling her eyes. _We all know that you hardly let Persona send us on hard ones. But you should know that Kouta and I are much stronger than you think._

_I know,_ she said. She didn't add that she just didn't want them to have to go through the pain that she had to every week. She didn't add that she knew how much the twins have grown since their first day. She didn't add that they had no idea how hard some of those missions could be. She didn't add a lot of things.

Mikan knew better that anyone that there were different levels of difficulties for missions, and she always insisted on taking all the hard ones from her friends. Only when Mikan was booked full would Persona ever send Kouta or Kimi or even Sora on a harder mission. She especially didn't let them take many assassination missions, though some were just inevitable. They were strong, maybe just as strong as she was physically, but Mikan could never risk it. Letting _them_ go on those missions was much harder for her than going on them herself. Mikan could handle the pain and the scars and the fatigue, but she hated seeing_ them_ go through that. She absolutely hated it.

Without further delay, Mikan formed a plan in her mind. _Kimi, Kouta, you guys stay back out of thee area and behind me first. Hide behind building 26. We're going to go through the front after we defeat the guards outside. I'll call you when the area's clear and we'll—_

_No_, the twins said at the exact same time.

_You guys, this if the fastest_—Mikan started, but Kouta wouldn't let her finish.

_Mikan, you can't always try to protect us. We're going in to help you whether you like it or not._

_Yeah_, Kimi agreed. _You can't take on all those guards by yourself._

She shook her head. _I'm sorry, you guys. This is the fastest way, and I don't want to hurt any of you. Please._

There was a pause.

_Please. Both of you need to help inside, where it counts._

Another pause.

_Please. Please, please, please, we're running out of time!_

…_Fine! But we're hardly gonna let you do anything in there, _they answered together.

_Just…don't look. _

_Why…?_

_Just don't. Trust me. Please? _

_...Damn, the things we do._

_Thanks so much!_

_Dammit, Mikan! Don't sound so happy!_

…_I'll call you in a bit._

The twins sighed.

Scaling the side of the building, Mikan took a deep breath. Her barrier was up, so the guards on the other side wouldn't notice her. This was her least favorite part of all missions. After a short moment's pause, she turned the corner and stomped her foot, freezing all of the guards before they even had a chance to turn to look at her. Then she used her explosion Alice and blew up all of the frozen statues, ice shards flying everywhere. In the large field, she was the only one left standing. Five hundred people…dead in an instant.

Tears threatened to pour over her eyes, but she knew she couldn't cry. Persona had always said that the people working for the AAO were bad people who only wanted to destroy all of the habitants of the academy, along with all of her friends. He always told her that what she had to do couldn't be helped, that it was something she had to do. There was no blood, and because they were frozen first, they shouldn't have felt anything, but…she just couldn't believe that she had to kill so many defenseless people.

She really hoped the twins weren't watching.

_It's clear. We can go now_, she called to them. Mikan felt their nods and waited patiently for them to catch up, briefing them on the rest of the plan. Well, most of the rest of the plan. The other part she had to tell them last minute, because she knew they would never agree to it.

Once they were together, the twins didn't bother to ask about what happened. There were shards of ice everywhere, but they didn't say a word. Maybe they saw Mikan's half teary face, or maybe they were stronger than she gave them credit for. After all, they certainly had to kill many people as well. Whatever it was, Mikan would've smiled appreciatively at them if only she didn't know what was going to happen next.

_The parents are on the top floor_, Kouta told the two as they started to creep in the doorway. Mikan was only half paying attention.

_There are 1500 in here, someone must've heard the explosion_, Mikan thought to herself. _But they're not attacking. They are all stationed closer to the top floor, and it's like their waiting for something, like they have a plan…_

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a glint.

"Kimi! Kouta! Duck!" she yelled, but it was too late. The trap was activated as they passed the small motion sensor, barely visible if Kouta wasn't holding a ball of light (from his new light Alice) which reflected off it. The twins ducked, instincts kicking in to trust whatever Mikan told them, but she knew it wasn't going to be enough. So she used the Alice she had just received on her last mission and had hardly been able to perfect yet—the mirror Alice.

It was only a sliver of light, but it was deadly. Persona had only told her about it only about a week before her entrance at school, so hardly anyone else knew about it yet. But she did. She knew what it could do.

She knew it could kill 500 people just like she did.

Once the mirror was up, Mikan jumped in front if the other two protectively. She wasn't exactly sure that the mirror would work so if it didn't, Mikan would hopefully be able to stop the blow from hitting the twins. Even though she could conjure up an unbreakable mirror with that Alice, she somehow knew that it wouldn't hold up completely against the light. The small slit came rushing towards them at a speed as fast as a bullet, and it made contact with the mirror…

BOOM!

Mikan was sent flying backwards as the light exploded against the shatter-proof glass, which shattered hence what it was supposed to be. Accidentally, she landed atop the twins who were stationed behind her. "Oof!" they all said.

Rolling over, she said, "Sorry."

"Mikan!" they shouted, getting up to help their friend. "Don't be sorry, you idiot! You're the one who saved us!"

"That's only, because, you didn't, know, about it," Mikan panted. She reached up to her stomach and felt the prick of a piece of glass, then she wrapped her fingers around the piece and yanked it out with only a small whimper. Blood came spilling out everywhere.

Kimi gasped. "Oh my God, Mikan!"

"What the hell just happened?" Kouta yelled. "What _was_ that?"

"No time to explain now," Mikan said, trying to keep her voice level and calm, even though she could still feel shards of glass piercing her skin. "They'll be coming to check down here to see if their contraption worked anytime soon. We have to get going now."

"But your stomach—" Kimi protested. Mikan waved that away.

"It's fine. _I'm _fine. Let's go."

They weren't convinced. "You should heal it, at least."

"No." Mikan shook her head. "There are still shards of glass, so I can't heal it yet. And it's just a waste of energy anyway, since we're going to need every ounce of power we can get." The twins knew very well that what she was saying made sense, but they were still reluctant to follow her as she made her way up the next level of stairs.

-xox-

"_Damn_." Kouta groaned, every part of his body sore. Of course he knew it was nothing compared to Mikan's wounds, but he still could move without wincing. Kimi tried to act positive, but she was just as exhausted. They had just climbed up the third staircase and made their way through so many traps, scratches covered their skin all over. Many guards they had already gotten rid of on the other floors and through hallways, now there were only about 500 left on the last floor.

Mikan wiped her forehead of sweat and gestured ahead, telling the others that it was time to go. They would have teleported in and out of the room with the parents at first, if only there wasn't some sort of barrier between floors and in walls. Another thing she hated about missions like this one was that there were way too many different traps—and those were the kinds of things they couldn't predict with Alices. It was all on instinct.

They walked as silently as they could up the stairs, knowing that there was half a thousand guards still waiting for them on the last floor. Hoping they would make it that far, at least.

_No!_ Mikan thought firmly. _We're going to make it past this. There's no way I'm going to let us die here. No way._

She led them up the stairs, keeping on her toes (both literally and figuratively) for anything that might've been thrown their way. But for some reason it was strangely quiet…

_Crap!_ As soon as they walked into the room, Mikan's brain went into full, thinking up a plan to get four people out of the building alive. Kouta and Kimi gasped beside her as they peered around the corner, seeing the entire floor as an open room, with 500 armed soldiers stationed around the big cage in the middle of the back wall. Mikan's barrier was up so they couldn't sense the three at the open door, but they still felt as if it was necessary for them to go back into cover behind the wall.

_Mikan, what are we going to do?_ Kimi thought to her.

_Same as before_, she said back. _We're going to go in there, retrieve the parents, and go back to the academy safely._

_And how the heck are we supposed to do that, Mikan?_ Kouta grumbled. _Be specific!_

Rolling her eyes, she replied, _Sure, sure. We're going to jump in there fast— me in front_, she emphasized. It was the twins' turn to roll their eyes. _Don't hold back. We need to get to the parents fast, before the agents decide to hurt them._

_Alright_, the twins said.

_But one more thing,_ Mikan said before they turned the corner. _You guys trust me, right? Do you really, really trust me?_

_Of course_, they answered automatically. Then they realized there might've been some hidden meaning in her question, so they turned to look at her. _Why are you asking that now? We've always believed in you._

Mikan smiled a small smile. _Just promise me that... you'll trust me enough to follow my lead if something happens in there_.

By this time, the two were wary. Kouta's eyes narrowed as he tried to look through Mikan's actions, but she was already one step away from walking through the doorway. Kimi exchanged a glance with her brother, but they followed Mikan regardless, thinking that no matter what, she knew what she was doing.

Taking a deep breath, she came around the corner quickly and stepped down, freezing all of the men standing in a thirty foot radius. Maybe she would've frozen farther, but she was out of practice—spending the week in bed messed up her usual wacky mission and training routine. Like there _was _one anyway, but Mikan still didn't want to chance it. She would never be able to forgive herself if she was responsible for ever hurting a parent.

She darted straight ahead, telling the other two to take care of the back soldiers while she attacked the front ones. It was quick as she switched into mission mode, thinking everything about how to get the parents, who were trapped in an Alice-sealing cage, and her two best friends out of there alive.

The unfrozen guards proceeded to shoot at her, but she made swift movements, missing each bullet by inches as she tried to stop them with her Alices from being able to go anywhere behind her. Mikan knew that reflecting them would be the easiest and the least energy wasting way, but she wouldn't do it. She knew so well how it felt like to be on the receiving end of that gun; that it wasn't a painless and fast way to die. After she dodged the bullets, Mikan used her ice Alice again to freeze all of the other guards close to her, and exploded them with another. Then she stopped.

Behind her, the twins smashed up the rest of the statued soldiers and ran up to her side. Kimi brushed strands of hair out of her masked face, and Kouta held his CrushGun (an invention made by Hotaru) tightly in his grip, waiting for further instructions. Mikan nodded towards the cage, and they understood. This would be the one and only time she'd ever let the twins go first, Mikan had to assure herself. This was the only way to get the four of them safe and sound, back to the academy.

She did her best to keep the guards off them, but exhaustion was threatening her. The AAO may have been the organization against Alices, but that never stopped them from having some up their sleeve. Usually, they saved them for harder targets, but sometimes there would be the occasional one amongst the batch who's goal in life was to make the Academy's life so much harder. That just did wonders for Mikan.

It was only when her two friends made it to the cage-like box at the back of the floor that Mikan started to gear towards their direction. She fended off some more guards, then scanned the room for something recognizable to…

_There!_

Hanging up in the top corner of the back of the room, Mikan fixed her eyes on the small metallic box. Since was an Alice-made barrier against Alices, she would have to destroy it manually. She jumped up and ripped the box out of the wall, causing it to sputter and spark, then she finally crushed it. The dim glowing presence around the area faded. The barrier was gone.

"Now!" she screamed to the twins.

"But Mikan—" they started to protest.

"Just go! I'll be fine!"

With one more reluctant glance towards their friend, the twins teleported into the cage, took the parents' hands, and disappeared, moving back to the academy. Mikan was about to teleport herself out as well, but a hand grabbed her shoulder, and before she could make a move, a shock ran through her body and she collapsed.

The last thing she heard was a voice saying, "I'm sorry."

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! **

**It took me a while to update, and I really hope you didn't have to wait too long!**

**You're the best readers ever! :D**

**Next chap we'll find out who caught our favourite brunette!  
**

**Oh, and please don't be mad at Mikan for killing so many guards! **

**Just think of it this way: what Persona said was dead on. They aren't human. **

**In a world full of Alices, it shouldn't be so hard to figure out, huh? ;)**

**One more thing: got any ideas for cool Alices? I need a few more for the next chapter.**

**Thanks!  
**

**-Starlight Curse  
**


	7. Her friend

**Hello everyone! **

**Sorry it took me so long to updat****e**—**so many one-shot plot lines just popped into my head. **

**I couldn't stop them!**

**I'll try my best to have them edited and posted up soon :)**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

**It's a little short, and not much really happens, but the next chap should be up in a jiffy!  
**

**Note: Kimi plays a major role in this chapter. I just thought it'd be nice to change it up.**

**Dedication: For my sister. She's a total bad-ass girl, just like this one ;)  
**

**Let's go!  
**

* * *

Her friend

**Kimi**

_Come on. Come on, come on, come on, come on, dammit, Persona, get your ass back here! _

I gripped my brother's hand tightly, feeling him wince under the pressure, but I knew he didn't care. I knew he didn't mind. I knew that, just like me, all he was thinking about was our best friend... who we left behind. I knew we were both worrying over the same thing.

And it wasn't only because we were twins.

The four of us—Kouta, the parents and I—sat in the small room which was conveniently located near the hidden DA classroom in the basement of the Hanahime den. There were many of them for this exact purpose: waiting for the result of a completed mission. Sometimes briefings were done in these rooms too, as well as individual meetings. We've been in these rooms so many times, through these hallways and hidden passageways, yet Kouta and I find them as the least home-y out of all the places in the academy.

_I wonder why. _

"Dammit," Kouta cursed, quiet enough so that the parents in the room wouldn't hear it. But I still did. Glancing over at him, I could see his clenched jaw and his face was pinched with a growing anger. I gave him a reassuring squeeze on the hand, but I wasn't even sure if he noticed it.

_Kouta, when did Persona say he was coming back?_ I asked him telepathically.

He glanced over._ Not sure. I can't believe he just told us to wait here with the parents while Mikan is still back there. _

_I know, and I'm really worried. Usually she'd be back by now, but we've been sitting in this room for over half an hour. Do you think something happened? _

_You can't think like that, Kimi. Mikan's tough—she'll be fine._

Even through his thoughts I could feel the sense of unease.

"We're really sorry."

The voice came from the woman. We both turned to look at the parents whom we had rescued; the mother and father of some kid we didn't even know in the academy; and the people who had come back with us instead of _her_.

I tried to tell myself not to think like that. I knew that if Mikan had somehow heard it, she'd disapprove. But damn, would I give anything to have her safe and sound by my side, even this mission. Even me staying back instead of her.

It wasn't until my brother shot me a look that I realized my thoughts were still connected to his (since we were twins, our telepathic connection was stronger than with others, therefore meaning he practically had an all access pass to my private train of thoughts—the jerk! But still, that meant I knew all he thought about too. I don't think anyone else knows about his secret crush on Nobara...).

But I wouldn't take the words back.

"You don't need to be sorry," I said aloud, ignoring the glare Kouta was sending me.

"We do," the man replied. His face was etched with worry, as was his wife's, and I could feel his regret and sorrow in his voice as he spoke to us. It reminded me so much of how my father used to sound whenever the academy's scouts came looking for us. Before we decided to come in on our free will to learn a thing or two about our powers. Maybe we should've stayed with him and mom...

My brother didn't miss out on that thought, and he almost agreed.

"No. It's our job, so you shouldn't worry about it," Kouta told him with as much sincerity as possible.

"It's the child's job to save the parents?" The woman gave a small laugh. "How is that even fair?"

"And I can feel your worry too," her husband spoke. "You're worried about your friend, aren't you? The one that stayed behind."

"No," we answered automatically. Persona had always trained us to not make the Alice-parents worry (surprising that he cares enough, huh?).

Almost smiling, the man said, "You can't lie to me about emotions."

"My husband has that kind of Alice, the one to read what people are feeling. Didn't you ever wonder what kind we had since you were probably informed we were Alices?"

Kouta and I exchanged a glance. "Not really."

"Well, my wife Midori here has the wish Alice, and the emotions Alice is all mine."

"His name is Kanta, by the way," she added with a shy smile. Her innocence, even as a parent, made my thought about leaving this mission almost vanish. I don't know what it was—something about these two people reminded me so much of home.

"It's nice to meet you," I said truthfully. "But you really should just rest up. Any moment now, Per—our teacher is going to walk through that door, and he'll get you set up in the hidden palace to stay in for the time being."

"Hidden palace?"

Nodding, I explained, "It wouldn't be safe to send the parents back to their homes after a kidnapping attempt, so the academy has some sort of hidden palace somewhere in North America for them to stay in until we get this entire mess settled out."

"Oh," Midori said quietly. She looked at her husband, who went and asked, "Forgive me for asking, but why doesn't the academy just send all Alice parents to the palace in the first place, instead of having to go through all this trouble?"

"Don't you think we've asked that ourselves before?" Kouta responded. "All anyone decides to tell us is that they have a really good reason that we just 'won't understand.'" His finger's made quotation marks in the air, and even though I didn't have Kanta's Alice, I could still feel his complete irritation.

The man seemed to be smart enough to drop it. Good thing, too, because that was the exact moment Persona decided to walk through the door.

He just nodded at the parents before turning to us. "We have another task for you two."

"Already?" I sighed. We hardly ever got much of a break these days.

"No," Kouta growled, surprising me. He never protested or complained _to _the teachers. Only to me.

And to her.

Oh, and Sora, but that's practically it.

Persona didn't even react to his jump in. All he did was look my brother in the eye and waited for an explanation.

"We just got back from the mission, and may I remind you that Kimi is still bleeding—" I looked down to my mission attire. He was right. "—the least you bastards could do is heal her before you send us on another assignment."

"Kouta!"

But our trainer just smirked. I swear, I saw it! The little upturn of his lips that Mikan had once swore he was able to do, but we never believed her—Yoshiro once suggested that he got some sort of permanent botox—and yet there it was. As I gaped, he said, "You're getting bolder, Gold Crow." He turned back to the parents to say, "We'll be one second," before stalking out of the room. We had no choice but to follow.

As soon as the door closed behind us, Persona said, "This is just a small assignment inside of the academy and Imai is on his way to heal you before you go."

"Oh," I said. "What are we going to do with the parents then? Are you sending them to the HP right away?"

"No, they ship off in the morning."

"So are _you _going to watch them?" Kouta asked incredulously. I couldn't blame him; Persona never once had to do that job, and most of the DA class was already out on missions, so it didn't leave much options.

"No," he said again. "Only the Gold Bird is up for this assignment; Crow, you're staying here."

"What?" we both screamed. If there's something everyone needs to know, it's this:

Kouta and I never did any missions without each other.

Like, ever.

Ever, ever.

No jokes.

So why this one would be different? I'm not sure, though my guess would be that Persona is too lazy to be up for some babysitting.

When Kouta heard this thought, I swear he almost wet himself.

And now he's just all pissy again.

"We've never done a mission without each other before, Persona. There's no way we're starting now," I declared for the both of us.

"Don't think of this as a mission," he answered without missing a beat. Then he did that little smirky thing again (I should've had a camera with me!) and said, "You're both babysitting, just different people."

"Babysitting?" I echoed.

_Sorry_, Kouta apologized in my head. _I forgot I was on connection with him, you know, to call him to the room. So, uh..._

Ugh. Thanks bro, you're a huge help.

Now I know why Persona had been glaring at me for the past minute and a half.

"Okay, fine. So who's the lucky person who I'm looking after?" I asked, changing the subject.

He looked at me. "The black cat."

-xox-

Crouching on the tree branch, I wanted to curse Person for putting me on this dumb assignment—seriously? Watching Mikan's bf? Yeah, _no_—but I couldn't since he made me promise to keep connection so he could watch the progress.

...Oh, what the hell! He's gonna get it sooner or later!

_Hey, Persona?_

_Yeah, well you suck. _

_A lot. _

I could feel him roll his eyes.

_Love you too! _

_Jerk.  
_

Across the field I could see the cat boy walking towards the middle school building. With the presence barrier on me so he couldn't sense that I was there (thank God for Yoshiro's Alice! He's a damn lifesaver!), I jumped to the next tree to follow. Honestly, that boy everyone always gossips about is only _okay_. Maybe he is extremely hot, but his eyes are just creepy.

Red.

Like blood.

Reminds me of too many missions. I wonder how Mikan can stand it.

The boy glanced around him to make sure no one was following (smart, but not very efficient), and when he thought no one was there, he kept moving. Persona had just assigned me to watch this boy because he was looking around the school for one particular girl, since he checked around after class and no one had seen her. It was actually pretty sweet for him to be worried about her (Mikan _does _deserve a boy who'll care for her), if only I didn't have to be the one to throw off his trail.

At ten o'clock at night.

Seriously, what kind of crazy boyfriend was this guy?

He was about to enter the MS building, and I was supposed to prevent him from going in without making it too obvious that we were trying to keep him away. It may sound simple, but in reality, it wasn't. Why?

Because this idiot used to be the top operative for our school.

Yeah. Damn.

I moved quicker through the trees, now trying to get to the building before he did. A small plan was forming in my mind, but it revolved around looking normal. With another quick glance down at my battle outfit, I realized that I looked anything _but _normal. The golden outfit and mask just didn't scream "I'm a regular student at the academy!" Nothing about it did, but I've learned to do with what I had.

As I landed on the roof of the building, I took off my mask and ponytail, sliding the metallic band onto my wrist (these unbreakable hairbands are so handy for not just missions!), and I left the mask on the floor. I was about to slide off the gold jacket, when I glanced over the edge of the building and noticed he wasn't there.

Panicking, I took another look over the grounds. Nothing.

"Dammit," I swore aloud. He must've already went inside. Fast, for a non-DA student. Well, I guess he kind of was one before, but still.

_Aw. Persona is totally going to kill me. _

I was about to jump off to go look for him, when a hand grabbed my arm, twisted it back and pinned me down to the ground. I gasped, more from shock than from pain, as a voice said in my ear, "If you don't tell me who you are in five seconds, I'm going to burn you."

And all I could think about was, _Man, does this boy have abs. _

* * *

**Hope you liked it :)**

**-Starlight Curse**


	8. Her cat

**Woo! It's me again!**

**I tried to update as soon as possible because the one before this was:**

**1) Short**

**2) Different**

**and 3) Not much happened. **

**So here it is**—**finally! **

**It's hopefully long enough to satisfy your cravings for now!  
**

**My sister was half between kicking me and laughing at me after reading about the character based on her. **

**And just to bother her a bit more (and continue the story haha), Kimi, once again, tells this chapter! :D  
**

**Soon we'll get back to the normal POV, but for now I hope this is okay. **

**It's easier for this part of this story to be in someone's point of view, but for Mikan it would give too much away.**

**And sorry about Kimi's language! It's just very much her character :)  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Her cat

**Kimi**

"Answer me!"

His voice was demanding, and to be honest, I didn't blame him. I had spent the past minute just staring at him like he was crazy (hot), so I guess the silence was just a bit much for the kitty. His hands were pinning my arms tightly to the roof's ground and the way he looked was just... Before, I didn't believe all the rumors about this guy, the _famous _Natsume Hyuuga, but now I think I understand a bit more: he really was a jackass.

That, I guess, was mildly attractive.

With my telepathy Alice, I threw him off me. He didn't even stumble, just jumped back and landed solidly on two feet ( the showoff!) in front of me, his piercing gaze not wavering. The cat boy watched me with the eyes of a hawk as I pushed myself up and dusted my hands on my gold-coloured jeans, and like a professional, I didn't take my eyes off him, either.

"Who are you?" he asked again, the tone in his voice unmistakable.

Instead, I walked closer to him—he didn't step back, the brave kid—and replied with another question. "How'd you get up here so fast?"

"Like I wouldn't notice you—I have awesome hearing," he responded, answering the hidden question that impressed me to know he got.

Still, as I watched the boy flick a piece of hair out of his eyes, just one thought popped into my mind:

I couldn't believe my best friend was dating a narcissist.

I wonder if she knew (then again, if she did, I would've loved to be there to see what she said).

"Well then you're smarter than you look." His eyes flashed at my compliment-slash-insult, but I didn't let him shoot off another question I couldn't answer. My cover was now practically written out for me, since it was obvious that I couldn't pretend to be a normal student after being caught stalking him, then almost jumping off a roof. "So, what's the black cat doing out here so late at night? Looking for something?"

He said nothing.

"Well, if you're not going to answer my question, why should I answer yours?" I told him, walking back to lean against the wall of the roof's door.

This time I got a word out of him. "Yes."

Playing a little, I asked, "Yes, what?"

Natsume looked away. "I'm looking for someone."

"Ooh, the cat speaks!" I exclaimed with mock-glee, earning me another glare. "So, since you answered one of my questions, I'll answer one of yours. What do you want to know?"

I expected that I needed to lie. I expected he would ask me who I was, or what I was doing following him, or why I was here, but instead, all I got was, "You're from the DA class, aren't you?"

It surprised me enough that all I had to say was "Yeah."

Something about the look on his face made me... sad. I don't know what it was, but he looked like he was thinking too hard, worrying too much, and trying to find answers to questions he believed he might never find. He looked tired. And somehow I knew that the reason for this was the same reason my best friend felt the pain she felt every single day; the same reason she went out and came back to and from missions; the same reason she might be hurt this very minute.

They both cared too much about the people they loved.

So maybe that was why I said,"Is that all the infamous black cat has to say? All you want to ask me? I might be the only way you can get your answers, get what you ant, and yet you choose to stay silent?"

With that, Natsume raised his eyebrows at me. I knew what he was going to say before the words came out of his mouth. "You're crazy."

How did I know?

Because I got that all the time.

I shrugged. "Wasn't that what you were expecting? Anyone who does missions nowadays is apparently crazy." Seeing the look he gave me, I said, "We hear things, Hyuuga. The entire DA class knows what everyone says about us, and we know how negative _your _opinions are. But keep this in mind—" I took a few steps forward, no longer having a wall to lean against. "—We're not as bad as we seem."

My comment seemed to make him think about something, and when he met my eye again, his face had a new edge of determination in it that I didn't recall seeing there before. When he spoke, his voice was careful: "Just stay away from me,"

Before I could snipe back a comment, he continued,

"And the people I care about. Or I swear to God, I will hunt each and every one of you down until there is not a single one left."

Ooh, I'm so scared.

Okay, maybe just a little. He's got this cool intimidating aura thing going on for him. I had to admit it was pretty hot.

_Too late, buddy; I'm already taken._

I had two right choices from there:

Leave or tell him I wouldn't bother him again.

For some reason, my brain decided to ignore any good advice or options, be stupid and provoke him. I can always blame my brain. "Sorry, Hyuuga, but you don't know who you're talking about."

As I jumped back behind the brick block the door was connected to and teleported away so he wouldn't see my other Alice (a little late on hiding my telepathy, though, thanks to my stupid temper and reflexes), I wasn't sure if he came after me to check if I was still there to get his answers. I didn't look back. I didn't wait. I didn't say anything else to him.

But I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to.

The truth, every piece of information that was obviously keeping him up at night, I wanted to tell him to get his simple-minded ass out of the gutter and start looking at the possibilities. Maybe I would do it partly for him, but I only had one person on my mind when I thought about how ironic his statement was. On how much I knew he would want to take his words back if he knew what he was promising.

_Cat boy, you just said you were going to hunt down every single DA class member.  
_

_Sorry to be the one to inform you, but she's one of us. _

-xox-

"Done, already, Kimi?"

I half-glared, half-pouted at my brother as I walked into the exact same room I had been in not too long before. It was still as bland as I remembered it; still as white and empty and drained of excitement as it had been since I left. But the three people sitting in there didn't seem to be as tired and upset as they had been an hour before.

Still, I couldn't help but say, "Miss me already, brother? Sorry to keep you waiting."

The parents chuckled under their breath as Kouta narrowed his eyes at me. I shot his a smirk before sinking into one of the unoccupied seats, embracing an exhaustion different from fighting and training and going on missions. This kind of exhaustion came from thinking too hard on something too long, which was why it was a good thing to have a twin who could take on your burdens for you.

Except what I was worrying about now required both minds.

"Did you ask Persona again, Kouta?"

He shook his head. "He disappeared quickly after he briefed you and Imai healed us. I didn't have a chance to convince him to let us go back for her."

Clenching my fists in my lap, I said, "I can't believe that, for a guy who cares so much about her, he wouldn't let us go back to make sure she's alright. Honestly? I could've slapped him. _Should've_ slapped him. For all we know, she could've been caught, and he's not even letting us go back to rescue her?"

My worrying was bothering him; I could see that. He hated it when I actually thought—he claimed it was how he could tell something was wrong, the cocky bastard—and so whenever I was really worried about something, he couldn't help but worry twice as much.

And do everything he could to make me feel better.

"Kimi, you know for one that Mikan would never get caught. Two, she could communicate with us if she did. Three, _she _would slap _you _if you thought of going back there. And four, Persona only knows what she wants the most."

I looked at my brother to see his too-knowing face, which always made me wonder if he was growing up and maturing too fast for someone our age (or maybe that I was growing up too slow). Sometimes I wondered if he knew too much for his own good.

"Persona, I think, cares about Mikan just as much as we do if not more." Kouta looked out the small excuse for a window (the small, barred, one-way mirror near the top of the wall opposite from the door) as he talked. "But he knows her. He knows that she would hate it if he sent us back to get her. He knows that she would hate it if we got hurt because of her. And he knows that she would hate it if we spent our time worrying about her. That part can't be helped, but everything else can. We just need to trust her. And I guess, since she does, we have to trust _him_."

"I guess so," I sighed tiredly. My eyelids felt like they weighed a ton, not only from fatigue from the mission, but also because it was almost freaking midnight. Anyone and everyone knew that staying up late was a total no-no for me, especially if I had training or classes the next morning. Which I did.

Ugh. I was totally going to have to talk to Persona about that.

Faintly, I could hear Kouta talking to the parents. Something about colours, I'm pretty sure, but I was too tired to tell. Sleep was coming in, and I was about to fall into a good dream about a certain DA classmate when I heard raised voices and a scream.

Opening my eyes, I mumbled, "Whazzat?" It wasn't until I saw the extra figure on the floor, dressed in red and not Kouta or the parents (and obviously not me) that my I snapped on my full attention to the small person. It whimpered slight, a sound I'm hateful to say I've heard too many times in my short time here, and I jumped out of my seat to rush over where everyone was crowded around my best friend. "Mikan!"

"I'm back..." she groaned weakly, as I tried to help her over to a chair. My hands were sticky from first contact. That's when I realized that the colour she had been wearing when we left for the mission, the colour she wore for every single assignment we had, the colour that represented one of the words in her alias, wasn't red.

So it really didn't surprise me that she passed out in my arms.

But I can't say I was ready for it.

"Imai!"

* * *

**Hope you liked it :)**

**It was originally supposed to be longer, but then it'd cut off part of the next important piece of the story.**

**Here's a hint to my very awesome readers:**

**The next chapter is called, _Her memories_. **

**Thanks a ton!  
**

**-Starlight Curse**


	9. Her memories

**Hi everyone!**

**I'm super excited to post another chapter; my writing brain has been off the charts lately!**

**There are so many small ideas that have been popping into my head, but I've decided to try my best to finish this story first.**

**So tada! Chapter nine, ready to go!**

**And for anyone wondering how long this story is gonna be: I'm not sure yet. **

**But don't worry one little bit, because right now, it isn't even close to done! ;)**

**Oh, and you'll probably notice in this (long) chapter how dismissive Kimi is. She might not notice a few things, or she might just not choose to think hard enough about some info she gets, but that's her character. It's just who she is, so I'll leave it up to you to figure out the big stuff for now :)  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Her memories

**Kimi**

My mother used to say that if I swore, bad things would happen. That was when I was just a little girl. Now I'm starting to wonder if she was right, because just a few years later, after I uttered my very 'damn' when I was 9 (a little young, I know), I'm sitting in a hospital room watching the life drain out of my best friend.

But it's a damn good thing that I have such a sassy attitude, because I would've never been able to stand for having to wait outside like everyone else.

Not that I ever said that I was like everyone else.

'Cause I'm not.

The only people in the room besides the patient and the doctor were me, Kouta, and Yoshiro, whom I had to argue double hard to let them be allowed to stay too, and all we could do was watch Imai try his best to heal her. I hated it. Hated not being able to do anything to help her, and hated that it was our fault for her getting this hurt. If there was anything I could've done rather than just sit in that chair, jabbing my nails into my brother's hand (I gotta remember to apologize later), I would've.

…I just sat there.

"Imai, what are you waiting for?" I growled, not being able to stand it any longer. We'd been in this room for over thirty minutes so far, and she was still getting paler by the second. That wasn't making very good progress.

Yoshiro shot me a look before turning back to the not-very-helpful doctor. "She's just worried, Subaru. You know how much she cares about her. Just ignore Kimi, and try your best to heal Mikan."

As you can see, if he was anyone else I would've decked them, but instead I just stuck out my tongue.

When the doc turned away from the girl (irresponsible much?) to look at us, we all straightened in our seats at his grim face. Believe it or not, when the doctor looks like somebody just died, it's not a very good sign.

Trust me.

"What's wrong, Imai?" my brother asked him cautiously. "She's okay, right? She's gonna be okay?"

Clipboard in hand, glasses perched on his nose, I always treated him like a geek. Always teased him and made fun of him and laughed at him for how he acted and such. He always just rolled his eyes and healed me anyways, 'cause I know he has a special sympathy for all dangerous ability students (even the ones who did missions just for fun). But that moment, that day, I needed to know his crazy doc knowledge more than anything else. "What's wrong with her?"

He met my eyes, reading all the worry and fear in their too-revealing gold irises, before saying, "I can always heal your injuries when you come back from missions because of what?"

"What the hell kind of question is that?" I screeched the same time Yoshiro answered, "Because they're human inflicted."

Imai gave my friend a small nod (he had always had a respect for the other's smart-alec—which he calls 'knowing'—attitude. Yes, my friend's a brainiac, and he doesn't ever hesitate to rub it in my face, being the cocky-ass guy he is). "Right."

I glanced over at my brother which made it perfectly clear that we were the only ones not following their complicated lines. "So what does that have to do with Mikan? How is it any different?" I asked for the both of us.

Instead of answering my questions, he shot off another. "What kinds of injuries can't I heal?"

"Ones inflicted by Alices," Yoshiro said quietly.

"Well, that shouldn't make a difference for her, because the AAO—Anti-Alice Organization, I have to point out, wouldn't have Alices, therefore meaning her injuries couldn't possibly come from them, right?" Looking around the room, I realized no one was answering. "Right?" I repeated.

Yoshiro just walked up to Mikan's bedside and took a look at the cuts and burns all over her body, that I noticed were all kind of purple around the edges. _Mine weren't anything like that_, I remembered... He swore. "Dammit. The strain Alice, huh? Didn't think they'd pull him out for this kind of mission."

"The what Alice? What are you talking about, Yoshi?" I asked, feeling him wince under his nickname.

Imai answered for him. "The strain Alice. It has the ability to enhance the pain on any injury to an infinite extent—so far that even paper cuts could cause a death."

"What? But why would the AAO have Alice like that? Why would they even have Alices at all? We've never been put on one with..." I trailed off. It just wasn't making any sense to me at all. I felt so out of the loop, but for some reason, all I cared about is how everyone seemed to know about it but me (and my brother, but like he even counted). And how it was hurting my best friend.

"She really kept you apart from them," Yoshiro murmured under his breath with dark amusement.

"Kept us apart from what? Who?"

The two in-loopers exchanged a glance. Imai sighed, "Like we have a choice," while Yoshiro said, "I didn't think we'd be able to keep it from this long, anyway," and I just screamed, "What are you hiding from us?" no longer able to withstand the suspense.

Smirking, my friend said, "You can't interrupt though, okay, Kimi?"

"...Fine! Just tell me what the hell is going on!"

My brother kept silent.

Yoshiro was the one to tell the story. "Here's the thing: the AAO has lots of Alices. A hell of a lot. And the most important thing, the part you probably won't believe, is that the AAO is _run _by Alices."

"What are you talking about?" I asked incredulously which made him raise his eyebrows. I put my hands up. "Okay, okay! Shutting!"

He continued. "There are usually only a small amount of Alices sent together for bigger missions—they never risk their agents on smaller ones—like two or three. Sometimes one, but the AAO Alices are hardly ever sent without backup."

"But wha—" Yoshiro put a finger over his mouth to shush me.

"That's what surprises me the most though," he mused. "He was never sent without a motive, and never alone, that's for sure. My bet is that Take volunteered to go with him, but..." Realizing he was mumbling, he straightened up and spoke to us again. "The reason you don't know about this is because you were being protected. She didn't want you to have unrepairable damages from missions, so she always took the harder missions, and ones with Alices, away from you."

"Who..." I paused, remembering that I wasn't supposed to say anything, but he just looked at me. It was his silent permission to speak that I took gladly. "Who was keeping us from them?"

Silence.

Then it dawned on me. My eyes widened as I stuttered, "W-what? Why would she do that? Why would she try to protect us from them and not... not...!"

He shrugged. "'Cause that's what we both wanted."

I clenched my fist in my lap, letting go of my brother's hand so he wouldn't be the one to have pierced palms. When I spoke, I made sure to keep my voice low and calm so nobody could feel my confusion: "What the hell are you talking about, Yoshi?"

This time, his eyes softened as he looked at me. "Mikan really cares about you both. She was really touched that you wanted to join the DA class just to help out other parents, too, and she loved that you became friends with her despite all the things you had to do. But as you guys got stronger, she was scared that you would have to go on the Alice missions, the ones where you came back extremely hurt, and yet couldn't be healed. And when you became my friends too, that one day—" He gave a laugh, and the corners of my lips tugged, too, as I remembered the day I met him. "—we both made a deal. She talked to Persona about giving all your hard missions to her, and I talked to m—Camilla about letting Persona assign all the missions for the both of you."

"Why would you do that? We're not weaklings." I crossed my arms across my chest, glaring at the boy who'd thought enough to care for me.

Yoshiro should've laughed. That's what he would've done before, but all I got was a "We know."

I was about to say something when I suddenly felt my brother's thoughts in my own, and I understood. He was being quiet because he knew why they would do that for us. He knew that he would've done the same for someone he cared about.

And I have to say, I would've done the same thing too.

_Thanks, Kouta. _

_...I have to thank your boyfriend, Kimi. He's the one who was protecting you all this time. _

_He's not my boyfriend!_

I could feel him smile. _  
_

Changing the subject, I asked, "So did everyone but us know about the AAO?"

He shook his head. "Nah, not all."

"Why do you know then, Yoshi? Why would Camilla listen to you?"

Imai stiffened at that question and turned to look at the boy in context, who just gave a grim smile and said, "I'm a special case." Not leaving any pause for questions, he said, "And Sora knows too."

"Seriously?" Kouta asked with disbelief. "Sora knows? How come Mikan protected us from the truth and not him? They're just as close."

"I beg to differ," I giggled. "Sora knows Mikan more than anyone. He _has _had a crush on her since he first arrived, anyway."

My brother rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like Mikan even notices."

"And like Sora will ever tell her," I added sadly. Too bad that she had at least _two _guys who really cared for her, or I would be all for the angel boy.

"Anyway," Yoshiro put in, fidgety that we were talking about Sora and Mikan's relationship again. He always got like that, and sometimes I wondered if it was because he didn't like the boy, but they were always joking around when they were together, and Sora really wasn't a person anyone could dislike. Besides, they even looked like brothers, both having brown hair and blue-green eyes. "Sora's healing Alice is different than Subaru's; he can actually heal Alice inflicted wounds."

"Really?" both me and my bro asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, but since Sora's away in the US for a few missions, Mikan's not gonna have a way to heal fast. Every single one of her injuries are strained, so we have to wait for Mikan to wake up first so she can heal her own wounds, since she copied Sora's healing Alice and not Subaru's."

I snorted. "Mikan's not going to heal herself; are you crazy? She even said before that—" Remembering something, I stopped to look at the boy who seemed to know more on this subject than anyone else. "Yoshi, that one time you came back from a mission, I remembered you had this huge gash on the side of your leg, which made it hard for you to walk. I told you to get Imai to heal it, but you just said that you liked it; that it made you look tough."

He was quiet.

"That was from an Alice wound, too, right? And that means that all those times you and Mikan declined healing because you claimed it wasn't that bad, you were just lying to us?"

Yoshiro gave me a small smile. "Well, you know now, right?"

"Only because you _had _to tell me!" I shouted. It frustrated me that all my friends knew this secret that was getting them hurt, and they didn't tell me and my brother just to protect us. I appreciated it, I really did, but still.

"Kimi, you shouldn't worry about it," he told me. "Okay? You too, Kouta. It really wasn't that bad."

My fists clenched tighter. "That means, when we failed that mission the one time, and Mikan went back... when we asked Imai about it, he said that he wouldn't heal her because Sora wanted to do it, and we all knew that he wasn't selfish enough to want her to keep the pain so he could play hero, but we didn't even question it. I guess we never really knew how hard missions really were."

I got up to Mikan's bedside, and knelt down beside her. Kouta watched me with a knowing expression, and the secret-keeper just said nothing as I whispered, "I'm so sorry, Mikan."

After a moment of pause, Yoshiro said, "Well, I think I'm gonna check out what happened when Mikan was still back there—"

Before he had a chance to finish his sentence, I jumped in saying, "I'm coming!"

He narrowed his eyes. "No."

Of all people, Yoshiro should've known better than to disagree with me. "_Yes_. I'm coming."

"You don't need to visit her memories with me, Kimi. Chances are that it's gonna be something you won't like."

"I'm still coming. I want to know how bad the things you've experienced are, and since we only just learned about it, you owe us this."

"_Owe _you this? How does that—"

"I"m coming, too."

At that voice, Yoshiro and I stopped bickering to stare at my brother. "Really?" I asked, eyes sparkling.

Yoshiro raised his eyebrows. "I always thought you were all for protecting Kimi, but you actually want her to go on this EmTrip? They're never pleasant; you know that."

"I know," he answered without skipping a beat. "And if I had a choice, I wouldn't let Kimi go either, but since she's here and _I _need to go, we don't really have a choice."

"You _need _to go?" the other boy repeated.

Kouta walked up to the bedside beside me and Yoshiro, his eyes determined. "Yeah."

We both understood.

"Okay, well, hold on!" Yoshiro tried to act excited, but all of us knew this wasn't going to be a very pleasant ride. My twin and I gripped his arms for dear life as he put his hand onto Mikan's forehead and closed his eyes. We did the same. I also noticed, before the lights went out, that Imai had silently slipped out while we were arguing, 'cause he knew it was best to not be around if he wasn't taking part in an EmTrip. Smart doc. I gotta learn to appreciate him one day.

And then we were soaring.

-xox-

**(A/N: I was going to cut off here, but as a treat to all my amazing reviewers who just make my day,  
I'm making this like a double chapter! Enjoy! :D)**

**(I hope it's not too long though!)  
**

**(Oh, and italics are when someone from the memory is talking.)**

-xox-

The two top operatives and the most well known people in our class were Mikan and Yoshiro. Of course, every single agent knew each other and was known well for their special talents, but two of my good friends were the ones everyone couldn't stop talking abut. Everyone believed that Mikan deserved her fame (though she, being the modest girl she was, didn't particularly enjoy it) for many reasons, but not many people understood why Yoshiro was so infamous to the DA class. Even I'm not really sure.

Maybe his Alices had something to do with it.

He had many—a lot received from Mikan—but his two natural ones were mostly what he was know for. One was the one our ISEC user had copied and given to mostly everyone: the presence barrier. It was a lifesaver during missions, trust me. The other was super rare, and it was the one we were about to use right now: the memory Alice. It gave him the power to go into anyone's memories, to see what he needed to see.

Sure it was a cool Alice, but it was never one he liked to use much. Only for special occasions.

Like this one.

-xox-

I clutched his arm tighter. I couldn't help it; EmTrips (which was what we called these memory visits) were always so...scary.

"Ow, Kimi," he hissed. "Any tighter and you'll cut off my circulation, and I really need that arm."

"Sorry," I whispered.

Hearing my quiet voice seemed to soften him. "It's okay."

"When are you taking us back to?" Kouta asked him.

"To just after you guys left."

"Okay," was all we said, and it was all we had to say. We all knew what the others were thinking, telepathy or not.

It was easy to tell the exact moment we stepped into the memory. The swirling images would stop, the dizzying feeling would fade, and your body would feel a thousand times lighter as the place around you would morph into the exact place the person had been not long before. And to be honest, EmTrips had always been things I never liked to do (only twice before had I gone).

For many reasons.

That we just arrived in a field full of dead soldiers only added to the reasons why.

"_But, Mikan—_" I heard me and my brother protest. They—_we_—were near the cage at the front of the room with Kanta and Midori in it.

"_Just go! I'll be fine!_" Mikan yelled back to us. For the first time, I noticed the amount of urgency in her voice.

Past-Me and Past-Kouta just gave her one more glance before teleporting into the cage and taking the parents back to the academy.

My stomach knotted. I wanted to scream for them to stop, but we were only there in spirit—in Mikan's mind—so they wouldn't be able to hear me. So I just stood there, watching _us _run away from her one more time. Kouta reached over to squeeze my hand comfortingly. I gave him a weak smile.

Just as soon as _we _left, I saw Mikan sigh out of relief; saw her release some of the cover she had been wearing to hide that she was so obviously in pain. She was getting ready to teleport back when I saw a boy come up behind her with some sort of mechanism in his hand, and aimed it at my friend. A small spark emitted from the top as it struck Mikan's back and she collapsed. The boy reached out to catch her, and his lips moved swiftly into a small whisper that I was barely sure I'd heard right: "I'm sorry."

I wasn't sure though. AAO members were never really ones to apologize.

Screaming, I got ready to lurch forward, but both boys held me back with a, "It already happened, Kimi. There's nothing we can do."

I bit my lip but said nothing.

The boy sighed. He was dressed in all dark blue attire, even his mask, which matched his midnight blue hair. He seemed no older than us, and I almost felt sympathy for him to be doing this kind of this when he was so young when I remembered that we were doing the same things.

And he was the one who hurt my friend.

Another boy, dressed in all green, came up behind the blue-boy and patted him on the back. His eyes were greener than spring grass, and his hair just as dark a brown as Yoshiro's. Speaking of which, my friend seemed to stiffen as he saw the two boys come out.

Nudging him, I asked, "What's wrong, Yoshi?"

Hearing my voice, he relaxed a little but his answer was still as sharp as broken glass. "Those are two well-known AAO operatives. The one in green is Takeharu; his Alice is wind."

"Hmm... like Sora," I commented.

Yoshiro went rigged again, but this time less noticeably. "Yeah."

"Hey, doesn't Hayate have the wind Alice too?" Kouta asked.

"Our idiotic senpai who's still crushing on some girl he calls Cool Blue Sky?" I almost laughed at the thought of one of the remaining DA members who had been in the class since before the Final Battle (which totally made it into our textbooks), and also one of the goofiest guys I knew. "Yeah. It's a pretty common Alice. Now that you mention it, I haven't seen Rui or anyone since about two weeks ago. Do you know where they've been?"

"Nah," my brother answered. "I think they're on a traveling mission right about now."

"Hunh." I sighed. Then something came to me, and I spun to face Yoshiro. "Hey, do Rui and Hayate know about everything too?"

"Considering they've been here so much longer than you have, I'd say yeah."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, fine. Continue, your all-smart-assness."

He raised his eyebrows, but just dismissed my comment. He knew me too well. "The one in blue; he's the AAO's best weapon, their treasure."

"And his Alice is...?" my twin asked.

"He has the strain Alice."

My eyes narrowed. "So he's the bastard who makes Mikan's wounds unhealable. The next time I see him, I'll—"

"No," he cut me off. "You won't see him. If I have to keep him away from you myself, I will, but for the love of God, don't you dare go looking for him. He's dangerous, Kimi. More so than I hope you'll ever know."

_Woah_, I thought, glancing over my shoulder. _Yoshi really holds a grudge against this guy. I wonder what happened..._

Aloud, I asked, "So what's his name?"

"Hiroto."

I kept my eyes on blue-boy, watched as he bent down to scoop Mikan up in his arms. Something about his antics almost made him seem careful. Like he actually didn't want to hurt her. But he was an AAO agent, I had to remind myself; nothing they did could ever be labeled as good.

"_Hiro_," the Takeharu kid said. "_Let's get going. _She _told us to bring the girl to the Keepers Room so when she wakes up, we can ask her the questions and she can't hurt us without getting hurt_."

Hiroto only nodded.

The two kids carried Mikan away.

"Do we follow?" I asked.

"Obviously, Kimi." Kouta rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but we're going to go into a skip," Yoshiro told us. "That's the only way we can follow them, since Take also has a teleportation Alice, and that's how they're probably getting to one of their secret bases."

I raised my eyebrows. "Take? Secret bases?"

He just shrugged. "Let's go. The skip will put us in about an hour after this point."

"More or less?" Kouta and I asked.

"More or less."

-xox-

The moment we dropped into the white room, I had the urge to throw up.

"At least turn the other way if you need to barf, Kimi!"

Which also gave me the urge to punch Yoshiro in the face.

Hard.

"Like that's any help, Yosh," Kouta said, rolling his eyes. I almost sent my brother a silent prayer of thanks when he continued, "If Kimi can't handle the dizziness of the ride, it's hardly any more helpful to point it out."

So if anyone can still blame me for arriving with two boys who had bruised faces...

How 'bout I just say they had it coming?

The room we were in was completely white: white walls, white floors, white ceilings, but that's about it. It almost reminded me of a hospital room, but this one was different. I once thought that those rooms back at the academy were like jail cells, but seeing this one made that opinion change immediately.

There were no pieces of furniture anywhere around the room; it was just a simple, no-windows, one door, white room.

But up against the wall directly across the door, there was a huge glass box. It ran the length of the small room, taking about a quarter of the entire space. Inside was my best friend, leaned against one clear wall, completely knocked out, chains connected from her wrists to the floors.

It was horrifying.

"How could they do that to a little girl?" My voice was shaky and full of weak anger.

Yoshiro didn't even blink, but his expression was grim. Kouta just clenched his jaw, looking like he wanted to run up and free her.

We all knew what those shackles were for.

The two boys who had carried her out of the room were plopped down in front of the glass box, probably having sat there for quite some time. Takeharu looked almost bored, and Hiroto's face was just unreadable behind the mask. But I could still see something in their expressions that I was sure my partners had picked up on too.

Worry. Regret. Fatigue.

A whole bunch of emotions that DA students felt too.

And I couldn't help but wonder if maybe, _just maybe_, those teens were almost like us.

Suddenly, Hiroto pushed himself off the ground. The other boy just watched as his teammate—friend?—walked up to the middle of the glass box until he put his hand on the clear surface and a sliver of light flashed around a barely visible outline of a door, and it popped open.

"_What are you doing, Hiro?_" Takeharu exclaimed, sitting up. "_You know it's dangerous to go into the Box when we don't even know what her Alice is!_"

Hiroto didn't even spare a glance over his shoulder. "_I know._"

Take sighed.

As Hiroto made his way to where Mikan was resting, I almost wanted to jump up to push him away. If he dared hurt her any more, I swear, I would've...

But it already happened. There was nothing I could do.

Which I had to constantly remind myself of.

Or I would've been punching mid-air.

The blue-boy leaned down in front of my friend, watching her with careful eyes. He put his hand gently onto her shoulder which made her eyes snap open as she winced in pain. Her chocolate brown eyes met his light blue for a moment before he got up quickly and exited through the door which closed right behind him.

"_Where am I?_" Mikan asked, her voice light but cautious.

"_I think you know_," Take told her with mild amusement.

She blinked as if trying to remember what was going on, before she narrowed her eyes. "_You are the ones who caught me. You're with the AAO._"

Take grinned. "_And you're with the academy. Honestly, what idiot in Alice would've thought to send a little girl to do their dirty work?_"

"_Our dirty work? You're the ones kidnapping innocent parents, so which side is doing the dirty work?_" Her voice was accusing.

The green-guy's smile seemed to turn a little more bitter. "_Huh. Looks like the academy has brains after all. Tell me, what's your name_?"

"_Like I'm going to tell you,_" she said. "_I—_" Mid-sentence, she yelped.

I had to fight really hard to not go to her.

"_Yeah, not a very good idea,_" Take told her, all amusement gone from his voice. "_The Alice shackles prevent you from using your Alices, and the glass box you're in just amplifies the shock. Good plan trying to use your Alice under the radar, though. You're pretty smart for an Alice student._"

"_An Alice student?_" Mikan questioned. I could tell by the way she was half-holding her breath that she was trying not to pant aloud, trying to not let the AAO kids know how much pain she was really in. Funny how I notice these little things only when I'm not really there so I can't tell her to stop being so stupid and to stop thinking too much about everyone else.

"_That's what we call students of the academy._"

"_Oh..._" Mikan breathed. She was about to pull her hand to her stomach, but it was stopped by the chains that held tight against her wrists. I could see the bright white lights reflecting off the glass still in her stomach from the explosion down on floor one of the warehouse. I could see the static that pricked around the edges of the glass box. And I could see that, more than anything, Mikan was in pain.

_Damn_.

"_Yeah_." Take pushed himself up to position himself right in front of the glass door. "_You probably already know the reason we're here, little girl, so I'll get straight to the point: what are your Alices? There's no way the academy would send you on this mission with just an Ice one, even in your three-man scout. They may be stupid, but they're not dumb._"

"_Isn't that just the same thing?_" She was trying to buy time; to avert their attention from her. It was a skill that all DA students had to master (I still remember the clown exercise we did. Imagine this: all of the aggressively skilled kids of the academy in one room, trying to make each other laugh, to distract them, doing whatever it took to get the person's full attention on what they wanted. Yeah, it was just plain weird).

And it worked.

He smirked. "_You know, if you weren't on the enemies' side, I might actually like you._"

"_She's right, though, Take._"

The sound of the blue-boy's voice surprised me. It was the very first time he had spoken since Mikan had woken up, and by the look on her face, I'd say she was even more surprised than I was. She also looked like she was thinking about something, trying to remember a forgotten thought. And by the looks of it, she was thinking hard.

"_Maybe_," Take sighed. "_But we still have to get this information outta her, Hiro. _She _won't be happy if we fail this mission._"

Hiroto just turned away.

"Hey, hey, Yoshi," I said, nudging the boy beside me. "What's up with that Hiroto kid? He seems kinda..."

Looking over, I noticed that Yoshiro was also studying the boy. When he spoke, his voice was quiet; thoughtful. "I don't know."

"Yeah, 'cause that's helpful," I snorted.

He cracked a smile.

"_Okay, little girl, you're gonna have to tell us—_"

"_Don't call me that,_" she whispered. Even though her voice was silent, even though all of us could barely hear her, the tone in her voice was as clear as day. It might've surprised anyone else, but I knew why she didn't want to be called that by an enemy of all people. Mikan had once told me that her cat had called her that sometimes; there was no way she would be able to stand a reminder of the boy who she was betraying, the boy she was lying to, the boy who she knew was spending well more that half his time worrying about her.

The one who she was spending every moment thinking about too.

"_Fine_," Take said, totally oblivious to my best friend's reasons. "_If you just told us your name—_" Mikan glared at him. The green-guy turned towards the blue-boy. "_Hey, Hiro, help me get the info outta her. Your Alice works a whole lot better than mine with this stuff—_"

Now Hiroto glared at the boy.

Seeming to know he slipped, Take went, "_Oh, crap._"

Mikan shifted in her seat, so slightly that it went almost unnoticed under my tight radar. "_You two are supposed to be the ones interrogating me, and yet I'm the one who knows that your name is Take—_" She pointed to the green-guy. "_—your name is Hiro—_" She pointed to the blue-boy. "_—and that you're both Alices too_."

"_Which is why it's only fair that you tell us too, right?_" Take said with a sly grin. "_Ready, Hiro?_"

That made his friend look over. "_Already?_"

He shrugged. "_Well, it doesn't look like like this girl is going to talk otherwise._"

Hiroto was still reluctant. He didn't make an effort to move until Take whispered, "_It's not us, it's _her. _Remember, Hiro? There's nothing we can do but listen and obey to whatever _she _wants. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here either._"

At that, the blue-boy nodded. He stepped up to the door, and just like he had the first time, he was about to put his hand on the door to open it.

But then a spark flashed across the glass and the boy was thrown back just as the special-glass shattered. I tore my eyes away from the boy I had switched to watching and found myself looking at my best friend, shackles ripped off, jumping up and heading towards the door.

Take stepped in front, using his wind Alice to try to blow her away, but she acted faster. With one shot of telepathy and iced ankles and wrists, the boy was pinned against the wall, seemingly unharmed (damn, what would Persona say?). Mikan might've been able to get away safely (at least sort of), but that's when Hiroto reached out to grab her wrist.

There was a flash of light, then a scream. Mikan's high voice filled the air, its agony all too clear that I had a strong urge to put my hands over my ears. Her wounds and cuts were now purplish around the edges. Her breathing grew heavier even more than it had been seconds before. But she didn't even collapse, just wrenched her hand away from him and blew him against the wall. She leaned forward slightly and I almost thought she was going to kiss him (though I remembered all the boys she had waiting at home), but her lips just moved quietly over his ear, and Hiroto's eyes widened slightly.

Then she iced a cage around him, and was gone.

Alarms were sounding as soon as the door burst open, and a whole bunch of soldiers came out to stop her. She just froze the ones in her way as she ran towards the one window, kicked a foot through and jumped out.

Landing underneath with barely a thud, she took one last look around her before teleporting out.

A hundred AAO guards came out way too late.

And Yoshiro muttered, "It's done," as the image around us blurred into nothing.

-xox-

The moment we came back into reality, the first thing I did was check to see if Mikan was awake.

She wasn't.

"Yoshi, are all of your missions that bad?" I asked, voice quivering. I couldn't even take my eyes around the girl lying still on the bed, tubes connecting her body to different machines, and bruises a darker purple than You-chan's violet crayon.

"Some are less brutal," he told me quietly.

Kouta was the one to ask what I couldn't. "And some are even worse?"

Yoshiro didn't answer.

I plopped down into the chair beside my best friend's bed, taking one long tired sigh before resting my chin on my hands. I stared down at the girl who had been through so much, just to protect everyone else. I said two words to Mikan Sakura, finally knowing what she really did for me:

"I'm sorry."

And then I fell into the darkest dreams I had ever known before.

* * *

**Like or not? :)**

**I didn't have time to edit it, so I'll apologize right now if there were any mistakes:**

**Sorry, sorry! :D**

**I'll correct them later if I have to.  
**

**And I know that Subaru doesn't have healing limits in the manga plot line, but it just works better that way for this story :P**

**Not much Natsume x Mikan right now but don't worry! There will be plenty later! ;)**

**Love for all my readers!  
**

**-Starlight Curse  
**


	10. She's not my onee chan

**Hi everyone!**

**Finally back to normal POV, huh? It's about time! ;)**

**Since the big explanation part is done, let's go full speed ahead (well, at least soon)!  
**

**This chapter, I'm putting in one of my favourite characters of all time from the original manga.**

**He's back and as adorable as ever (and, though maybe not in this chapter, he plays a very important part)!  
**

**To**_ XxMidnightPrincessxX_**: Read and you'll find out! ;) Later on, I _might _post a chapter on Kimi and Yoshi's past, as well as Sora and Mikan's and a few other side characters, but only if you want to read about it. **

**But I really need to get in some NatsuMikan moments in soon! That's my main priority!  
**

**So, chapter 10 (woo! We're finally in double digits!) is here, and eleven will come up as soon as I finish writing it!  
**

**Hope you like it! :D  
**

* * *

She's not my onee-chan

_The gloves were sticky on his skin, the air thick and dry. Ever since he decided to stay at the academy after he graduated to be a doctor, this was the only type of air he breathed in now. Practically all his time was spent in the hospital, since it was his job to clean up the DA students' wounds, and the man hardly had any time to himself now. _

_Not that he minded; he had always wanted to help people despite his cold exterior. _

_But every single day, kids, much younger than he was, would come into his care with injuries he couldn't even fathom. _

_Especially her. _

_She was his sister's best friend and total opposite. She was the girl who brought happiness to all the students of the academy, the one who brought changes—for the better. Yet almost every day he would have to treat her wounds, because_ every day_ she would risk her life for the sake of the kids in the academy. _

_And he had to watch. _

_Subaru Imai was a smart man; he excelled in all his classes, knew things people much older than him couldn't understand. But whenever this particular girl came in, he never felt more clueless in his life. It wasn't just because her attitude could persuade others to do things her way without anything even being said, and it wasn't just because she believed in things that most people had long forgotten. _

_No, it was because even though she was the sunshine in the academy, he could never do anything to help her. _

_And not being able to do anything wasn't something he liked. _

_At all. _

_Being as careful as he could, the man used his tweezers to pick out all the small pieces of glass that were stuck in her stomach. He could still hear the arguing going on outside his door; Kimi was extremely loud when she didn't get what she wanted. And at that moment, there was nothing she wanted more than to come into her best friend's hospital room. _

_He could almost remember Persona's face when the girl had commanded him to watch the parents so she and her brother could come with him to bring Mikan to her hospital room on the top floor of the building. He hadn't been very happy. After all, firstly, he didn't like 'babysitting.' Secondly, he would've much rather been watching over his little white flower. _

_So Subaru was just sitting there, fixing up a girl he thought of as his little sister, and one thought came to his mind:_

It's going to be so much harder to hide everything when my real sister gets back.

_Then the door burst open, and in came three people he could've done without. _

_"Miss me?" Kimi asked. _

Not even close.

-xox-

She plopped down on the edge of her bed, feeling tired but only a little better than she had been an hour before. When she had woken up, Yoshiro was waiting there for her as well as Subaru and Persona. It was an ambush. They had each commanded her to heal herself, since Sora wasn't there to do so and Subaru wasn't able to, and they said that with the strain Alice's effect put on, it would only be a matter of days before she met her death.

And with the thought of leaving the academy grounds unprotected, Mikan had no choice but to do so.

_Still, I would've thought they'd be a little less demanding to a girl who'd been unconscious for the past day, _she couldn't help but think.

Persona had also warned her that the telepathic twins had learned the AAO secret when she was out, and that they'd be ready to attack her for info as soon as they got back from a small mission he sent them on. Mikan knew that they'd find out sooner or later; she just hoped that it would be willingly after everything was settled.

Yoshiro told her that they went on an EmTrip.

With that boy she was surprised didn't recognize her from two years before, and the other boy who was the center of the AAO, the things they saw probably wouldn't have been very good.

That was how she knew that the way they'd learned about it wasn't exactly under good circumstances.

Speaking of not very good circumstances, apparently Natsume had been looking for her by the Hanahime den. The good thing was that Kimi had managed to divert his route; the bad thing was that they had met and talked for a good five minutes.

_I'm going to have to talk to her about that. _

Mikan looked at her clock. It was eleven o'clock. She'd been passed out for a while. Thank goodness it was Saturday, so nobody would be suspicious since she didn't miss any school.

On the other hand, there was still a boy who was always suspicious.

"Natsume," she sighed aloud. She couldn't believe he had actually been looking for her so late the night before. Of course she felt horrible about it, and of course she felt horrible about having Kimi and Kouta take care of her so late too, then having to go on a mission in the early morn. If anyone was suffering _because _of her, of course she'd feel bad.

Of course she'd want to do something to make it up to them.

All she needed was an idea.

Right now, she had a whole day of free time since Persona had refused to give her any missions, and school wasn't in session.

All her classmates were in missions: well, most at least, excluding a few helping or training with Persona.

All her senpais were busy: Tsubasa was in soccer practice; Misaki was kicking butt in tennis; and Tono was just chilling out with all the girls of his grade (typical, typical).

All her friends were out: most at Central Town for some kind of carnival.

And there was no way she was going to Natsume after what happened last night. He'd be sure to interrogate her, and she hadn't even gotten her story straight yet. She just wasn't ready.

So one little boy with silver hair and the cutest green eyes she ever saw came to her mind, and she decided it was about time she went to see her favourite little brother.

The thought of the evil spirit controlling little boy, who had idolized Natsume and become attached to herself, made her smile. He was about five now, although, as a result from swallowing a Gulliver candy that Hotaru had lent him to make him look older, he could now switch between his normal kindergarten self, to a version that looked ten years older. It was random though, and at many times while in his older form, he would carry Mikan.

With that thought in mind, she laughed as she skipped down the hallways to the kindergarten's single star section of the elementary school building.

When she arrived, she caught the robot maid's attention and asked, "Could you please show me to Youichi Hijiri's room, please?"

The robot nodded before wheeling off.

Mikan was actually really happy to be able to see the little guy. In the beginning, he had been just as cold to her as Natsume had been, but now both boys' opinions were much more positive. Youichi always clung to her like paper and glue, no matter which form he was in.

Arriving at the door, she took a deep breath before knocking.

There was no answer.

She knocked again.

Still nothing.

Frustrated, Mikan knocked harder, and this time, the door popped open. Thinking of this as a welcoming, she stepped inside.

BOO!

"Eep!" Mikan screamed playfully as a whole bunch of evil spirits surrounded her, whispering haunting taunts and threats. "You-chan! Get your ghosts to leave me alone!"

Immediately, the ghosts dissipated, and a five year old boy turned his head to look at his favourite sempai. "Onee-chan!"

"Hey, You-chan," she greeted him as he rushed up to give her a hug. She picked him up and sat on the edge of his long bed (just in case he morphed in the middle of the night), keeping him on her lap. "I missed you!"

He nodded. "Me too."

"Sorry I haven't came to see you yet; it's been really busy!"

The small boy waited, expecting a full-out explanation of her day and an infinite amount of stories about what happened during the two years she was gone. But he got nothing. Mikan just sat there silently, thinking about how much she should tell him, not even noticing that Youichi was studying her every move very carefully.

"You're different," Youichi said pointedly.

"What?"

"You're different," he repeated, his voice still as monotonous as ever.

"What are you talking about, You-chan? I haven't changed a bit!" she exclaimed.

This time the little boy pushed himself of her lap to stand in front her, so their eyes met at an even level. "You're not my onee-chan."

Mikan furrowed her eyebrows and glared at the boy. "I am _too _your onee-chan. Why are you saying such strange things?"

"My onee-chan wouldn't have been laughing as soon as she saw my ghosts; she'd be crying." Youichi put a finger on his palm, as if counting off the reasons. "My onee-chan wouldn't apologize for useless things; she would be more meaningful even though she acts like a pig. My onee-chan wouldn't be so quiet; she'd be talking so much that I'd want her to shut up. And my onee-chan would never be here for more than a minute without making me smile; she's always stupid—"

"Hey!"

"—but she loves to make people happy." The boy pointed at her. "You. Are. Not. My. Onee-chan."

His comments were so forward, so observant, that Mikan had to take a few moments just to gape at him. Youichi may have been five years old, but even when she had first known him, he had always acted so much more mature for his age. He had always been smarter than she once was. And the fact that he was so little gave him the power to say whatever he was thinking without pause, a quality Natsume didn't have to pointing out his accusations.

So the first thing that came to Mikan's mind, the one thing she could say without fully lying to him was, "You're right."

Youichi's eyes softened slightly. "Onee-chan, what's wrong?"

Her mind stopped working. For a second, Mikan actually considered telling the little boy everything—out of all the people, her heart wanted to tell _him _the most. About the missions, about what she did, about _everything_.

But she couldn't.

Him knowing the truth wouldn't do him any good. It wouldn't have been a great idea for her to tell such a small boy about the academy's big problems, and it definitely wouldn't have made life any easier for him. But still... she had the urge to tell him, even though the reason wasn't one good enough to put the little boy at risk:

Just because she wanted to.

Mikan sighed. "You-chan, I—"

_Tell him. _

Her eyes widened at the voice in her head. It was one she knew well, but there was no way that that person would be telling her to do that...

_I'm serious. _

Oh my gosh, it was totally him! She blinked, telepathically asking why she should.

_Mikan, you'll need a person outside of the class to confide in. Hijiri had been in the class before, but unlike the black cat, he won't stop you. He'll only be there to help, because he knows that it's all on you. And we won't let anything hurt him; you know that. _

As soon as that comment made its way into her brain, she was practically dancing with joy on the inside. Getting permission to tell Youichi; getting assurance that he would be safe; getting a person she cared about from the outside to help her, even a five year old, was exciting to her.

_Thanks so much!_ she replied back with glee. _By the way, Rei, I don't think you've ever said so much at once before. _

She could feel Persona roll his eyes.

Now _that _was something that was always the same.

And she couldn't help but love him for it.

"You-chan," Mikan said, with a new light in her eyes that Youichi had taken notice of.

"What is it, onee-chan?"

"If I tell you what's going on, will you promise you won't tell anyone?" she asked, taking his hand to sit him down beside her.

He paused, then nodded.

"Especially Natsume?" She had to make that part very clear so Youichi wouldn't think it was fine to tell his onii-chan about what she was doing.

The boy raised his eyebrows.

"Please, You-chan? That's the only way I can tell you."

Youichi bit his lip, like he was thinking about something. Then he nodded. "Okay, onee-chan. I won't talk about this to anyone but you."

Mikan smiled brightly at the boy for his understanding. "Thank you, You-chan! You're the best!"

And then she told him her story.

-xox-

Mikan felt a thousand times lighter as she walked out of Youichi's room and down the hallways of the place she had once called home. Not that it wasn't her home anymore (because it was), but it felt less like the safe haven it should've been. Her Jii-chan had already passed away, so she had no place there anymore. The places she and her mother had stayed in for the short time they spent wandering weren't even real homes to her without her mother.

So the only place she really had was right there.

She sighed slightly, remembering the small pieces of advice the five year old had given her. He was smart; she had to give him that, and in the time she had been gone, he'd matured more than she thought he would. That she was able to tell at least one person, and that person being someone who knew her well enough, being someone who'd support her no matter what she did was something she couldn't have been more happy about.

As she made her way up the long corridors of the middle school dormitory, she couldn't help but add a little skip to her step. It was as if an all new beat was playing in her mind..

It shouldn't have been such a big thing. Telling one person shouldn't have been such a big deal, but to her, it was. It meant getting support from someone on the outside.

It was comforting.

_And You-chan could help ward off Natsume. _

Mikan was about to turn into the area for the MS division's special stars when she ran into someone.

_Oh, crap. _

Remember the one saying, 'speak of the devil and the devil shall come?'

Yeah, well Mikan couldn't help but think that there was no quote more appropriate for her at the moment than that one.

Because with crimson eyes flashing, he didn't exactly look happy.

* * *

**Doo doo doodle doo :)**

**Review, anyone?  
**

**-Starlight Curse  
**


	11. A break for her

**Hi to my awesome readers!  
**

**I'm soooo sorry that I haven't been able to update for a while**—**my grade was out on a week-long camping trip.**

**It was actually really fun!**

**Okay, so I'll spare you the bug-covered details and get onto chapter eleven!**

**(Make a wish! ((silly superstition haha)))**

**Oh, and as requested, I'll tell you that Mikan and the gang are all in eighth grade (go us! :D). Sora and Yoshi and Kimi and Kouta included. **

**That makes them about thirteen or fourteen :)**

**And yes, they do act much more mature for their age.**

**But hey! Would we really have it any other way? ;)  
**

**And I've also noticed that I never stick to one particular genre, whether it be angsty or funny or romantic or tragic. Oops!**

**Onto the chapter!  
**

**Hope you like it anyway! :D  
**

* * *

A break for her

"Um, hi Natsume!"

He glared at her. The girl in front of him just smiled sheepishly, obviously racking her brain for something to say (which was very unlike her) to him, as he stood, crimson eyes more piercing then a knife's blade.

In Mikan's point of view, she would've much rather seen the blade.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him nervously.

His answer was immediate. "Don't give me that crap."

She bit her lip. "What do you mean?"

"You're going to tell me where you disappeared to last night and what you've been hiding from me ever since you got back."

Mikan sighed out of relief and fatigue. At first she almost thought he found out that she was doing missions, but his question made it certain that that wasn't the case. However, he was still pissed as hell, and a simple diversion and lame excuse wouldn't be able to thwart him now. She hadn't had much time to think of a reason to use, since a small trip with her mother would just get everyone wondering where Yuka was, and hanging out in her room wouldn't have worked either.

The night sky outside the window darkened even more in her pause. The day might've been almost gone (most of it spent talking to a kindergarten boy), but it seemed as if the biggest challenge was right now.

Then she realized that she didn't want to lie to him if she could avoid it, and told him part of the truth.

"I went to see You-chan."

The answer surprised him. "Youichi?"

Nodding, she smiled. "Uh-huh. Did you know he got smarter? I swear that kid couldn't possibly be five." When he didn't say anything, she continued, "He accused me of the same things you did—apparently I haven't been smiling as much?" It came out as a question.

"You've also been quieter," he pointed out quietly.

She looked at him. She shouldn't have been surprised—it was obvious to everyone that he had been watching her carefully, assessing her every move, every slip up. If anything, she should've expected it. But as her eyes met with his; as she read the worry and confusion in the supposed cold crimson irises, her heart drummed with something she couldn't fully figure out.

Reading emotions was something Mikan thought she had almost gotten good at. She could tell when people were worried about her, and she could tell when they wanted to protest to her crazy, solo ideas. It was something that was good for all the things that she did. But _he _had always surprised her in ways she didn't know whether she liked or not.

So, with a confusion she hadn't felt in a long time, she closed her eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Even without seeing him, she could feel Natsume stir. His movements didn't go unnoticed, and she had to hold in words of protest as his reach for her pulled back. When he spoke, though, there was a sincerity in it that she never believed he was capable of. "Don't be."

Those words alone were enough to make her heart stop. Automatically, Mikan opened her eyes, seeing that the boy had closed in the space between them. "Natsume..."

"Why?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in actual confusion at his question. "Why what?"

"Why haven't you been smiling as much?" he asked, words ringing of pure concern.

Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "It's my mom."

"What's wrong?" Natsume was suddenly defensive. "Did something happen to her?"

Mikan paused. "Um..."

"You can tell me, Polka."

She shot him a look but otherwise ignored the nickname. Then she bit her lip again as his eyes silently prodded her for answers. Answers she was sure she wasn't able to give him. But... "She's hurt," Mikan answered, then kicked herself inwardly for saying so.

"What happened?" he asked again, getting more impatient by the second.

"She's in the hospital. A plane crash," she added, almost as an afterthought. "On her way back from her business trip, her plane's engine exploded and the first thing Mom did was get everyone else off the plane. But she didn't have enough time to teleport herself out..."

Mikan almost smiled. She liked the sound of it, that her mother was so brave and selfless in the accident. It was just as it had been when the AAO attacked them; Yuka had focused on protecting her daughter first, which was what got her hurt, but in the end it was Mikan who had been able to get them out of there. A little pang went through her as she remembered how she couldn't help her mother _before _she was harmed.

Natsume's look was just as if to say, "I'm sorry."

Continuing, she looked down. "I only got the news last night, but they won't let me see her yet. She's in a coma and she's not waking up. So I went to see You-chan—"

"Why didn't you come to me?"

His voice surprised her. For the millionth time that day, he did something that caught her off guard. But at that moment, the part of it that startled her was that he sounded almost _hurt _that she hadn't come to him first. Silly, she knew. "Well, you seemed mad at me during class yesterday, so I..."

He snorted.

"What was that for, Natsume?" she protested as he flicked her on the forehead. Hard.

The boy just leaned down in front if her and tilted her chin up, so that they met at eye level. The crimson seemed to have a twinge of amusement. "Idiot. I was never mad at you. You jumped to the wrong conclusions."

There were so many things she could've done: shoot some sort of comeback; slap him; yell at him; maybe point out that he was the one who had been jumping to conclusions (though he was partially close). But only one response came to her mind as she stared deep into red pools of the prettiest eyes she had ever seen.

She kissed him.

Since her eyes were closed, she didn't see how shocked he looked at her actions. She didn't see how his eyes widened slightly before he closed them. But she _did _feel his arms slide around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She _did _feel how warm their touches were, how magical and unrealistically perfect. And she _did _feel the tug and pull towards him that bound them closed than they had ever been.

So did he.

That was why they both felt like they were ripped from something that was a part of them as they pulled away for air.

_It wasn't long enough. _

Natsume's breath was short, but he still managed to sound smug as he said, "Not bad."

She had to try extremely hard not to wack him in the arm, before she realized that it was actually her. When he swore and glared at her, Mikan just grinned. "Mm hm!"

He rolled his eyes but didn't answer.

Mikan caught sight of the time on a clock behind him and sighed again, this time out of disappointment. Now that the dread of seeing him had passed, she only wanted to spend every second she could with him. "It's bedtime, Natsume. I'll see you tomorrow?"

But before she could pull away, he pulled her tighter and said, "Stay."

His sudden possessiveness was another thing that took her breath away. "What?"

"I said stay," he repeated, obviously annoyed that he had to say it again.

"But we have to sleep, Natsume," she protested, butterflies fluttering around in her stomach as if they were powered on sugar.

"Then sleep with me."

Her heart skipped a beat.

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Not like that, you pervert. I won't touch you, if you want, but I just..." he trailed off, turning away.

She smiled. He didn't have to say it. She felt exactly the same way.

_I don't want to be apart from you, either, Natsume. _

"Okay," she agreed softly.

Abruptly, he whipped his head around to face her. His eyebrows were raised, but she could see the relief in his eyes.

"Let's go?" Her voice was hard to hear over her drumming heart.

He nodded, taking her hand to pull her down the hallway to his special star room, which was conveniently (?) located just a few down from hers. As soon as they closed the door behind them, Natsume went off into his dresser to pull out a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

"Here," he said, handing them to her. "These are a little small for me, so they should fit you. You can change in the bathroom."

Mikan nodded as she complied.

When she came out of the bathroom, fully changed into her sleeping wear (which, despite what Natsume said, were still big on her, the shirt hanging like a dress), she saw that Natsume was already propped up on his bed, dressed in pajamas and flipping through channels on the TV with the remote controller.

She climbed under the sheets almost hesitantly beside him, her wavering actions gone as soon as he automatically put his arm around her. It was warm. _He _was warm. And she wouldn't have rather been anywhere other than by his side.

After about five minutes of channel flipping, Natsume shut off the TV and the lights, so that night and sleep could finally follow them. Mikan curled up close to his side, and he liked how she smelled so much like strawberries. It was fruity. It was sweet. And it was alluring. He pulled her closer.

As the night went on, both of them fell quietly into sweet dreams.

-x-

He didn't know what time it was. He didn't know whether it had just been a few minutes since he fell from wake, or a few hours. All he knew was that the little break in the best dreams he'd ever had was blurry and hard to remember.

His crimson eyes could barely open. They were thick and heavy, but not in the way where his body was just so damn tired he couldn't bear the movement. No, it was because he didn't want to move away from the safeness and realty that came from staying by her side.

But through the small fluttering of his eyelashes, he could see that the girl was sitting up, her back against the headboard of his bed. She was staring straight off into the space in front of her, not noticing anything around her with eyes that carried some sort of burden. Like she was somewhere else. But they were peaceful. More so than he had seen in the time that she arrived, that much was clear to him.

The boy convinced himself that he was just tired. His foggy eyesight was what caused him to see the clear, crystalline tears that ran down her cheeks. As she used her other hand (the one not holding his) to wipe away the little droplets, he told himself that she was one to cry a lot, usually for things that didn't matter much.

So that was what made him push away he feeling that told him her tears were somehow _wrong_.

Then his eyes dropped more quickly than he could stop them, just after he whispered something he couldn't remember the second after.

-x-

She woke up without anything else in her mind than the fact that he was right beside her. In the two years she had been gone, she never really realized how much she missed him. How much she wanted to stay by his side like she was then.

Silently, she thanked Persona for giving her the weekend off—she wouldn't have been able to stand being apart from him now. She also sent her trainer the message to tell Narumi and Youichi and everyone the new story, so that they knew to answer that Yuka was in the hospital from a plane crash when Natsume asked. He agreed to it, saying that this story would work a whole lot better (how he always seemed to be awake when she needed him still puzzling her).

But it wasn't just a story to her. It was the lie, the truth, the thing she had to live by whenever anyone else was around.

It was her _life_.

Very quietly, she pushed herself up so she was sitting against the headboard. Somehow she knew that sleep wouldn't come unless she took some time to clear her head. She needed some time to think about what she was going to do, not only about the missions, but about _him_, and about her mother. Everything she was involved in required thinking.

And until a few years ago, thinking wasn't something she was well trained in.

Her chocolate brown eyes were wide and open as she stared past the walls beyond his door, his walls. A story was set so her mother's absence wouldn't be questioned. A little boy was told so she would always have someone to go to, even though he was so much younger than she was. A boy was laying right beside her in a deep sleep, and she was only glad she was able to help one person live peacefully, as if nothing was wrong.

_Mom. _

It had been a while since she had last visited her mother in the hospital, though Subaru had informed her that no change had come into Yuka's condition. Of course not. The injuries she had suffered to the head were probably much worse than she could have imagined, no matter how much everyone had told her otherwise.

Narumi had once told her that she was so much stronger than her mother, not just physically, but emotionally. He had said that she was able to withstand more pain than his sempai had, and he said that she was able to stay strong and keep smiling through tough times. He told her that she had been the one to decide to stay and help her friends _before _she left with her mother. Said that she was the one to choose the right option.

Still, she couldn't help but feel helplessly weak waiting for her mother to open her eyes, when she had been the one to close them.

Something warm and wet rolled down her cheek. A tear? Hastily, she took her unheld hand to brush it away. She shouldn't have been crying. It was something she liked to thing she was strong enough to keep in. But there they were, tears rushing down her cheeks.

She almost sighed when the boy beside her mumbled, "Don't cry, Mikan."

Her head turned automatically to face him, eyes wide with shock. He had called her by her name!

But he was just lying there, eyes closed, squeezing her hand in a way that was comforting. It was clear that he was sleeping; he never would've looked so vulnerable otherwise. He never would've looked so peaceful.

_Of course_, she giggled inwardly. _Natsume would only call me by my name if he wasn't awake to stop himself. _

Slowly, she slipped back under the covers, lying close to him as she whispered back, "Thank you."

Something about that boy made it so much easier for her to fall back into sleep.

-xox-

"Ready!" Her voice was cheery and bright as she jumped out of her bedroom, slamming the door right behind her.

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Slowpoke. You wasted half an hour already."

The girl pushed her tongue out. "Meanie! I couldn't find anything to wear, and besides, I had a whole bunch of feathers stuck in my hair that just took forever to get out! It wasn't my fault!"

"It was. Who else cut my pillow in half this morning?"

"Hey! You don't throw something at someone without expecting them to react to it! That was _yoooouuur _fault!"

"Tch. How'd you even grab the pen that fast? You never had good reflexes before."

"Oh, um... Well, it was just right there on the nightstand beside the bed, and I just grabbed the first thing and stuck it through."

"...You owe me a pillow."

"Geez, Natsume! Fine. We're going to Central Town right now anyway. I'll get you one on the way back, okay?"

"Hn."

The duo had woken up a little before noon and missed breakfast, so they had decided to head off to the academy square to get some lunch. There had been an argument about who's fault it was that they slept in, in which the previously mentioned pillow throwing resulted, followed by another quarrel. That was about when Mikan had declared that she was going back to her room to change, and when Natsume met her in front of her room, slightly pissed and yelling at her every five minutes to hurry up.

The neighbors knew better than to intervene in a NatsuMikan battle, having heard stories of their legendary fights from before Mikan had left.

So they just had to bear with the noise.

As they waited for the first bus to town, Natsume couldn't help but notice that the red skirt she was wearing along with the lacy white tank top looked good on her. Red had always been his favourite colour, so it wasn't a hard thing to agree that that was one of the colours he would think went with her pale skin. It was complimenting.

It was beautiful (yes, 'cause Natsume will always and forever call Mikan an 'it').

Sunday in Central Town was crowded and busy and loud, but most of all, it was much too big, and the moment they arrived Natsume knew he was in for one heck of a day. He instantly regretted agreeing to come as Mikan dragged him off to the nearest cafe which specialized in pastries. They took one of the tables outside under the bright sun, the umbrella's shade barely covering.

But he really didn't mind.

"Anna-chan!" Mikan squealed in delight as their pink-haired friend came up to their table, menus and notepad in hand. "You work here now?"

The girl nodded as she handed out the two menu booklets. "Yup! Misaki-sensei got me a job here after he tasted one of the cakes I made him." Her smile was slightly shy but still happy, which gave Mikan the clue that she still kept her old crush on their old science teacher from elementary school.

"That's great!" she encouraged wholeheartedly.

"Thanks, Mikan-chan," Anna said with a smile. "So, what can I get for you both?"

Mikan flipped open the pamphlet and scanned the glossy sheets. "Hmm... I'll take an ice tea, a strawberry shortcake, a chocolate lava cake, a slice of lemon meringue, a strawberry and chocolate crepe, a—"

"Cut her order in half and get me a water and plain spongecake," Natsume interrupted, staring boredly at the menu.

Anna nodded. "Okay, I'll be back soon!" And with a wink thrown towards Mikan, she wheeled off on her smooth roller blades.

The brunette didn't see it. She just glared at the boy who sat in front of her and demanded, "Why did you do that, Natsume?"

He didn't even shrug or look up. "You eat like a pig."

Mikan's glare intensified at his statement and the whole cafe around them seemed to freeze. All of the people around the area turned to watch them, listening in to hear what the girl would say to him, what horrible one-worded answer he would respond with, and how she would scream her head off at him. It would have been a lie to say they weren't looking forward to it.

But all they got was a sigh from the girl and a, "Fine, but you're going to have to buy me ice cream later, okay?"

"Hn," was the boy's answer, but everyone could see the small curve on his lips.

From the time before Anna came with their deserts to after, Mikan chatted about happily in his ears. He just watched her with boredom and annoyance shown outwardly in his eyes, though he paid very close attention to what she said and how she played absentmindedly with her pigtails as she spoke.

When they finished an hour later (the only reason Natsume was done first being because she had been talking the entire time), she took her wallet out to pay, but he just wacked it (_faaaar_) away before tipping Anna and going off to help her find her pink change purse.

Which was what they were still doing an hour later.

"I can't believe you threw my wallet so far away," Mikan huffed, throwing her arms up. They were seated on a small bench under a beautifully grown cherry blossom tree in the middle of the square. It was half past two, and they had hardly gotten anything they wanted to do done.

"Tch," he muttered, leaning back into the wood.

"If you wanted to pay, you could've just asked!"

"Like you would've let me," he pointed out bitterly.

Mikan opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it. She did that several more times before sighing, "The new age is different, Natsume. Guys don't have to pay for girls all the time."

"Most girls would love it if guys always paid for them."

His accusation made her laugh. "Natsume, I thought you already knew this: I'm not like most girls."

That had to be the most truthful thing she'd said to him all day.

Their shady break ended after just a few minutes, in which Mikan decided it was about time to start searching again, and Natsume had no choice but to follow the overly hyper girl around. He dragged his feet as he walked, but, truth be told, he wasn't feeling the least bit guilty.

He was only happy to be spending time with his favourite girl.

Since he had been looking down at the ground, he didn't realize Mikan had stopped walking until he bumped into her.

"What the hell?" he hissed automatically, but his irritation quickly fled as soon as he saw the bright look on the girl's face as she exclaimed, "Nonoko-chan!" and ran off to meet the blue haired girl who was standing in front of a counter in a small building.

"Mikan-chan!" The girl smiled, putting down the beaker in her hand to give her friend a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Natsume and I were getting lunch when he threw my wallet away," she answered with a roll of her eyes and an accusing point towards the red-eyed culprit. "Now we've been looking for it for over an hour."

Laughing, she said, "Let me guess; he didn't want you to pay?"

"Bingo! How'd you know, Nonoko-chan?"

She shrugged. "It's just something Natsume-kun would do."

At that, Natsume muttered something under his breath causing the two girls to giggle uncontrollably.

"Where were you yesterday, Mikan-chan?" the blue-haired girl asked. "You missed the carnival. It was really fun; Ruka-kun went up on stage and was dancing with the animals. It was extremely hilarious."

The thought of that was enough to make Mikan laugh. She could picture the blond boy's blush and embarrassment at having a whole tent-full of people witness his animal pheromone Alice in use. When she had seen it for the first time, it sure took a whole lot to keep from either burst out laughing at him, or gawking in utter disbelief. He was such a sweetheart.

"I went to see You-chan," she said to Nonoko, remembering her truth-slash-lie.

"Oh my gosh, he's grown to be such a cutie!" she gushed back. "You-chan's about the smartest kid I know. I'm still looking for some kind of potion to stop his conversions into his older self, though. It's not that easy."

"Is that what you're doing now?" Mikan asked, gesturing to the table in front of her covered in a whole bunch of chemicals and glass tubes.

"Nope! I'm working right now; I got a job here making potions for this store since they were impressed with my work at last year's Alice festival. Apparently they were more interested with my work than other chem Alices in the high school division." Her smile was proud.

"It seems like everyone is getting jobs nowadays," she observed, thinking about Anna and Hotaru.

Nonoko smiled. "Yeah, it's about time we got something to do! You should get one too, Mikan-chan! It's a good time-passer, doing the things we love. Anna cooks at the cafe; Inchou is working as an illusionist; Sumire-chan finds what people lost; Ruka-kun volunteers at the pet store; Koko and Kitsu just like to annoy everyone, but they still hang out around the gag store every once in a while, while Mochu just tags along. Hotaru-chan should be back from her latest business trip soon, too. It's really fun!"

She thought about it. But the last thing she needed was a way to pass time, with all the missions and such she had lined up, so she had no choice but to decline. "Nah, I already have a bunch of things I need to do. Catch up on schoolwork and stuff."

"Right." The other girl nodded. "Well, I have to get back to work now, but I'll see you tomorrow during class?"

"Of course!" Mikan agreed without a second thought. With one last wave, she skipped off, a certain cat trailing behind her.

"Hey, where are you going?" he asked.

Still skipping, she turned around to face him. "What do you mean, Natsume?"

"We already searched around here." He looked out to the area she was headed to.

She just shrugged. "We've wasted enough time running around looking for my dumb wallet. There wasn't really anything important in it, and we get our allowance at the end of the month anyway." Then she gave him a bright grin. "Besides, you still owe me an ice cream!"

He rolled his eyes, but followed her as she started to talk about a whole bunch of random stuff like she always did. Now he was starting to feel a little bad for loosing the girl's wallet—but really! How much could she have possibly saved up in the short time she had been here, even though she was a special star?

Natsume didn't suspect a thing.

-xox-

"That was really fun!"

If he had to be honest, Natsume would've said that her voice had way too much enthusiasm in it for a girl who had been running around all day. Even though she had eaten two ice cream cones and one whole box of Howalons. And a slice of pizza, a whole bunch of cake, and one plate of lasagna. Excluding the amount of water she probably swallowed when she fell off the small bridge and into the thin river (idiot girl leaned over too much to see the special breeds of koi).

Even with all that they did that day, he still thought that she was was too happy.

He didn't even get a pillow.

Not that he minded.

"We should do that again sometime," Mikan suggested.

"Hn," he said.

She smiled.

They were walking to the bus stop on one side of Central Town, Natsume having almost emptied his wallet and Mikan not having found hers. She promised that she'd pay him back everything she bought (mostly food, though the towel and extra outfit was kinda necessary) once Permy/Sumire (who they had no choice but to enlist the help of) found it. He didn't say anything to that.

"When we get back, I wonder if I can use today as an excuse for not doing my homework," she mused to herself.

He rolled his eyes.

"Natsume, do you think—" Abruptly, Mikan stopped. But there was no one around them to say hello to, and there weren't any interesting stores around that part that she'd want to go to (unless she was hungry _again_), so Natsume wasn't about to give her free slip-up for making him bump into her again until she dropped down to her knees.

-x-

Mikan's knees buckled.

She didn't now what happened. One moment she was talking cheerily to Natsume, and the next she was frozen, all the energy knocked out of her, causing her to collapse. Luckily she was used to sudden pains, otherwise she would've fainted on the spot, but that didn't stop the force choking her.

Coughs bubbled up in her throat uncontrollably, so harsh that she had to use her hands to cover her mouth. She could feel the boy curse beside her, shouting out her name, trying to ask her what was wrong. She could feel his irritation turn to worry in an instant.

Normally she wouldn't have used her healing Alice on herself, but there was no way she was going to let him worry anymore about her after things were finally settled. So, as inconspicuously as possible, she soothed the fire in her chest and throat. It didn't take very long, and the feeling did not go away completely, but at least it gave her the energy to stand.

Before she did though, she noticed the red on her hands.

Pushing herself forcefully off the ground, Mikan wiped the splashes of blood onto her skirt hoping Natsume wouldn't notice (thank God she'd thought to wear red). He still hovered protectively around her, demanding, "What's wrong, Mikan?"

She forced a smile. "Nothing. I'm fine." Seeing his unbelieving look, she quickly added, "I think I might've caught a small cold from when I fell into the river. No big deal, Natsume. Don't worry about it; I'm okay."

He let his breath out in relief. She had scared him; that much was for sure. The very thing she wished she would never have to inflict upon him, and yet she made him worry anyway. About herself. So that was probably what pushed Mikan to link arms with him and say, "Come on! We're going to miss the next bus!" before pulling him off the bus stop.

Reluctantly, the boy let himself be dragged off by the girl. During the ride, he stayed quiet and thoughtful. And after, when he had to say goodbye to her in front of her room, he tried to stay that way.

It didn't work out the way he wanted it to.

"Hey." His voice was softer than it should've been.

She turned slowly. Her moves were quite smooth for a girl he remembered to be insanely clumsy, but he didn't take much thought on that. It was her eyes, big and brown, that looked a little sad as she looked at him. Like she was thinking way too much, lie she was holding back everything she wanted to let go. It threw needles in his chest to see a happy girl like her with such sorrowful eyes.

"Yeah, Natsume?" she asked quietly.

He clenched his fist at his side. "Are you okay?"

The question caught her off guard. "What?"

Natsume took a step forward, putting his hand out to brush her cheek. "You're so... sad. Worried. It's not you."

Mikan blinked at him, then something in her eyes seemed to drop as she said, "It's nothing. It's just... Mom."

At that, he wrapped his arms around her, and he could feel her stiff posture lighten slightly. She'd been holding it ever since she had gotten back, not only when she had said her mother was hurt. He knew that. And of course he wanted to know what was going on in her supposed-to-be simple life, but he also knew that she would tell him when she wanted to. When she felt ready. Whatever secrets she was keeping from could wait, as long as she knew that he was there.

He didn't tell her to not worry. He didn't tell her to leave things to him. He didn't tell her that everything would be okay. Those weren't the things she needed to hear. Those may have been the things he wanted to say, but those weren't the things that would _help_. When he opened his mouth, the words that came out were the only ones he was absolutely sure of:

"I'll always be here for you, Mikan."

She made a small noise, and he knew not only from the water spreading on his shirt and from the way she clutched the fabric tighter that she was crying. It wasn't the way she'd always bawled when Hotaru had hit her with her Baka Gun, or the way she wept when she was too happy or too surprised to deal with. No, the tears that flowed silently down her cheeks had deep meaning in it that he didn't understand, but he didn't need to.

His words would always ring true.

Then she pulled back, eyes filled with shimmering crystals, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek as she said, "Thank you, Natsume."

And she closed the door.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, unsurprised, and shuffled down the hallway. But as he walked down, he passed right by his room.

-x-

When the door closed behind her she was already at the point of hiccuping. It was just... she really wanted to tell him. More than anything in the whole entire world, she wanted to tell him.

But she couldn't.

She loved him; that much she was sure of now. Maybe she had always loved him. Yes, that was probably it. Yet now she was sure of it, and if she really did love him, if she _really _did, then she wouldn't tell him. It was as simple as that.

She wouldn't tell him.

Her heart tore.

Mikan dropped onto the ground, her breathing grew heavier, but not from the pain from missions. It was simply from not being able to tell the guy she loved, the one who was openly worried about her, about all the problems she had to face. Even when it was her own conditions that held her back.

It was a selfish reason to cry, she knew. Ever since she trained and worked for the academy, she hardly like to cry. Not from the injuries, not from the losses, not from anything that life was putting her through, hell or not. It was something she had decided with herself that she just wouldn't do. But here she was, crying for a reason she wasn't even sure she knew.

_"I'll always be here for you, Mikan." _

Remembering his words just seemed to make her tears flow faster. He knew something was wrong and he knew there was something she wasn't telling him. And yet for some reason, he told her that he'd always be there for her. Would he still think that way after he realizes what she's done? Or not, since he had to do the same sort of things when he did mission?

She curled up on the floor, back pressed against the wall, chin on her knees. Everything just made it harder to breath, so she really didn't care.

All the muscles in her body wanted her to tell him so she could release some of the stress she'd been building up over the years. Her brain reminded her that keeping secrets was always bad. But only one part of her encouraged keeping everything silent; keeping everyone safe.

It wasn't a hard battle even with horrible odds.

For some odd reason, her heart always won.

Soon, after everything was settled, she would get to tell them. Soon, after all the battles they were fighting were done, she could tell all her friends about what she was doing like it was one of her crazy stories.

Then, sitting there, she remembered the coughing fit she'd had during her day with Natsume.

And she realized she might never get the chance.

"_You might want to leave something for them, like a token that you were thinking about them. An explanation of why you had to go_," Persona had once told her. It was right after one of her missions that she came back from extremely hurt in. He was always mad at her after, but his advice rang bells. He said that her friends would need a final goodbye if she were to not come back, something to remind them how much she cared. Something that would help the accept and let go.

_Like a letter. _

Abruptly, Mikan sat up and ran to her desk. She pulled open the drawer in a haste that it almost came out. But the only thing she saw was the stack of envelopes and cute, strawberry stationary that was still there from when she had once bought it, thinking that she was going to write to Hotaru with before everything happened.

It was perfect.

Before, she was always wondering how she could repay everyone for their support, for their friendship. Now she got it.

She was going to keep the danger away from them; she was going to let them live peaceful lives until the very end, not letting them worry about her like she had once worried about Natsume. And in case she wouldn't have time to apologize about the secrets she kept or get the chance to say goodbye, they would have one last piece of her always with them.

She was young, and unexperienced, and was put through way too much for such a small girl. But she knew things. She may not have been the brightest star the academy had, but Mikan Sakura could understand things that many people could not.

Without another thought, she made a list in her head of all the people she needed to write to, before pulling the cap off the pen and putting the tip to the paper.

-x-

He kept walking. Outside it was dark, but he didn't mind it. His destination was clear in his head and he could've gone there blindfolded since, once upon a time, it was a place he visited often.

After talking to the girl, he felt like he needed to do something other than sit around and wait for things to get better. It just wasn't the way he did things. Despite his earlier resolve, he couldn't just watch her suffer through everything alone.

The only time he stopped was to ask a receptionist a question. "Where is Yuka Azumi's room?"

The woman behind the desk was reluctant. He barely recognized her, but it was obvious she had been working there for a while since she so clearly knew him. "Um, Hyuuga-san..."

Another nurse leaned in. "It's okay, Ali-chan. Yuka-san is in from a plane crash, remember?" There was something in her voice Natsume didn't understand.

A look of recognition passed across the receptionist's face. "Oh, right." She glanced back down to her papers for a second before saying, "Room 320."

Natsume nodded once before walking on.

As soon as he arrived, he opened the door without hesitation. It wasn't the time of day to have a whole bunch of visitors, so knocking wasn't necessary.

There she was. He couldn't help but let out a sharp breath as he saw the woman. She wasn't in the best shape, that much he was sure of.

But he didn't stop to stare at all the bandages and tubes and machines. He'd seen them all before. Instead, he just took the seat next to the bed plopping himself in it without taking his eyes off the woman. She didn't look like she was going to get up any time soon.

Still, that didn't stop him from shifting his weight as if to get comfortable, and say, "You're daughter is waiting for you."

* * *

**It'll get better soon, so please ignore the childishness of this chap! :)  
**

**-Starlight Curse  
**


	12. Caring about her

**Hi everyone!**

**Right now, I'm feeling really happy so I decided to get my bum _onto _the couch and upload this chap on my laptop. :)  
**

**So here it is, short and bittersweet!**

**Hope you like it!**

**(Oh, and don't forget to read the A/N at the end. It's really important!)  
**

* * *

Caring about her

Waking up so early in the morning wasn't a punishment for him. It didn't bother him at all that his sleep didn't stretch on as long as it should for a five year-old boy. He had never been like other kids, that much was clear in the way his senpais looked at him whenever they came to visit. There was nothing about him that carried the regular burdens of someone his age.

Why he woke early that morning was different from usual though. His ghosts may have been of the evil spirited ones, but they had atoned to his will of letting him know when his big sister was coming to visit him. Maybe it was a token of his kindship to them of which no one else seemed to bother; he may have been smart, but there were always things he didn't know.

Like everything about her.

There was a knock to which he didn't answer. Another knock, another silence.

Then she called, "You-chan, I'm coming in!" and took no hesitation before flinging the door open.

She took the seat beside him on his bed slowly, giving him the time to notice that she was dressed in all white, hair in only one ponytail, and a mask covering half her face. He also noticed a whole bunch of bracelets and little gadgets clipped onto her skin.

Seeing his calculating look, she confirmed, "Rei cancelled my training session this morning, and I wanted to come see you but I didn't have enough time to change. What do you think?" If she were standing, he was certain she would've twirled.

"You look like a little kid dressed up for Halloween."

She pouted. "Well, I'm not the little kid here."

He looked at her. "Alice-controlling devices?"

Mikan stiffened. "I wear them during most missions, and during training sessions with Rei. So I don't hurt anybody I don't mean to. They only shock when you don't know how to control," she added to loosen the tensity in his eyes.

"Oh," he exhaled quietly.

Knowing how much Youichi was like _him_, she knew he wouldn't continue, so she changed the subject. "Rei said you haven't been sleeping much. Are you okay?"

"It's nothing," he averred. He couldn't remember a night where he got good sleep ever since _before _she had left. When the only thing the academy was fighting were its own alumni out for revenge. When they were paid by the government to do their dirty work. When the elementary school principal was manipulating all the students inside.

When she hadn't been one of them.

So that's why her question made his head snap up to look at her.

"Is it my fault, You-chan?"

"No!" His tone left no room for questions, but that didn't stop the look that passed across her face. "It's not your fault, onee-chan," he said again, softer this time.

Even though she nodded he knew she didn't believe him.

Pushing himself up, Youichi moved so was no longer sitting beside Mikan, but in front of her. "What is it?"

Her brows furrowed. "Huh?"

"What is it?" he repeated. "They said you had something to give me—my ghosts. What is it?"

"Oh, right!" she remembered. Mikan reached into a small pocket in her jacket and pulled out a stack of white envelopes, each having a strawberry vine running along the border. He couldn't count how many there were—about ten maybe? Probably more. The name of the one on the very top caught his attention. In a neatly printed script, _Natsume Hyuuga_ was written.

"What are those?"

She handed them to him, making sure his hands were positioned firmly on them before she let them go. Her eyes locked with his, and he could read the stress that probably came with writing them as she said, "Goodbyes."

-xox-

"No."

"You're being irresponsible, Persona. This is the best way, and you know it."

"No."

"She's strong. She can handle it."

"I said _no_," he growled. "Just because you have a say in this group doesn't mean you call all the shots. That's final."

The woman just leaned back calmly in her chair. Her dark brown hair was wrapped into a neat bun on the top of her head, and the suit she wore just spelled out _finality_. This was her turf, anyways. _Her_ office. She had the advantage here, and she had no reason to be afraid of this man as everyone once was. He was soft—whether it be from before that girl or after. It was just known that she had awakened it. "I _do_ call the shots; my decisions are final."

"There is no way you're sending her as your personal _spy_." He slammed his fist down on the desk in front of her, his face pulled back into a menacing scowl. She didn't even flinch.

"It's not that way and you know it," she answered simply. Unshaken. "For such a man like yourself, Persona, you should know better than to have favourites. You can't try to protect her forever."

"I don't have to _try_ anything. This is my class—I lead it, not you. You have a say in everything that revolves around that boy, but _she_ is my responsibility. And right now that will save us all because you simply don't understand any of which you are going into." His tone held that of a threat.

"I do."

"You do not!" he shouted, furious with her implications. She was supposed to be the head of the elementary division and yet all of her actions were biased and selfish. "You say that I hold favourites, but your discriminations are much worse than mine. Like the Angel, whom you always send away across the globe every chance you get—"

"That's because he shouldn't be here!" the woman snapped, provoked enough to stand up from her chair. "He is an enemy, a very nuisance to our team, one who carries the same blood as the head of the AAO! The reason he is here is because _she_ brought him back with her, which is the only reason you let him stay. Are you saying it's wrong for me to feel self-conscious around him?"

"Yes," Persona answered tersely. "He is nothing more than a help to us, and he would never betray our side because of his appreciation for the Flower and his sense of superior justice. The blood he carries shouldn't make a difference, yet that is the very reason you despise him."

"He's _hers_, not mine," she returned bitterly. "They would welcome him better than I ever will."

"He's an asset, Caro. He stays. And as for the Snake—"

"Yoshiro is much more important," she interrupted before he could say anything. "If it would make you feel better, though, he will accompany the Flower on this assignment."

"They don't have the best relationship. Their allegiance won't be as smooth as it should be."

"You're her trainer and somehow you still fail to see that she has no problem with him, and he doesn't mind her. The only thing that separates them is how different their resolves are."

"That's probably the most truthful thing you've said to me all day." He gave a bitter laugh. "She is one who cares about others _before_ herself, and he is a crude child who had always believed in 'every Alice _for_ himself.' She would be better off alone than having to protect someone who would never give a second thought about leaving her behind."

The woman pressed her lips together. "He's changed, Persona. He's better now than he was before under that woman's influence."

His smile was wry. "The Gold Bird has quite an influence on him. That's the only reason I let him stay because I know he's getting better. But you favor him too much, Caro. He was more a part of the AAO than the Angel had ever been."

"He's changed," she repeated, sitting back down in her chair. Her blue eyes were blazing as she stared through the mask that covered the man's face. "So, this mission. Are you sending her with him or without?"

"This isn't a necessary one," he seethed. "Why _she_ has to go is beyond me."

She didn't answer to that. "With him or without?"

"Why don't you just send him?"

"She's strong," was her immediate answer. "With him or without?" she asked again.

"_Neither_."

"How about we just let them decide?"

-xox-

Classes passed by in a blur. Mikan hardly paid any attention to what the teachers were saying, and was thankful for Persona's instructions for them to not volunteer her for answers during. When she excused herself after, no one questioned her. Not even Natsume.

Before school had started, she had given Youichi specific instructions on what to do with the letters.

"_Lock them away. Don't open them. Don't read them. Don't tell anyone else about them_," she had told him. "_If anything ever happens to me, Rei—Persona—will tell you first, and you'll distribute these to whoever's name is printed on the front. Some have an 'R' printed in the corner, and those you'll give to Rei so he can give them to my friends in the DA class. Can you do that for me_?"

"_Nothing's going to happen to you, onee-chan_," he had said, right after he agreed.

She had just smiled.

Dressed in her mission attire, controlling devices included, she headed off to their meeting place in the Northern Forest. It was a regular routine, one that never changed. He would be waiting for her in the middle of the clearing. She would arrive. He would brief her. She would go.

And hopefully later she'd come back.

But as soon as she arrived, Mikan knew something was different.

"Yoshiro?" she wondered, staring at the boy dressed in silver who was standing across from her in the clearing, arms crossed and back leaned on a tree.

He rolled his eyes. "Forget me already, Mikan?"

"No, of course not," she replied. It wouldn't be the first time she was paired for a mission, but it's just that usually she had been told beforehand. "Are you coming with me on this mission?"

He shrugged. "It all depends on what you decide."

"What?"

Persona stepped in. "You have an IG mission, and we decided to give you a choice on whether or not you would like a partner. The Silver Snake was chosen as your alternative." Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "It was the ESP's call."

She understood immediately. From his tense posture to the way his eyes held cold, she could tell that he wasn't in full agreement with the principal's demands. He had never liked her, Mikan knew. He thought that she was selfish and had opinions that could cause the destruction of everything they worked for. Whenever she assigned something, Persona had always been reluctant to deliver.

But no one could deny that Camilla Caro had something that made her a good leader.

Ruthlessness. Power. Experience.

And a complete and unchangeable alliance to the academy.

Mikan shrugged it off like it was no big deal. "It doesn't matter. He can come if he wants, but if he doesn't, then I'll still be okay."

The man in black gave a grim smile as if that were exactly what he expected. "It's up to you then, Snake."

Yoshiro cracked his knuckles. "You know I'd never pass up the chance to get some dirt on the AAO."

Laughing, the girl stepped more openly into the clearing. "Of course, Yoshi."

"_Aw_. Why does that have to be my nickname?" he groaned. "Really? Everyone knows I hate Mario (**A/N: the game, just so you know. Like the Super Mario Brothers. Yoshi is the green dinosaur thing who I personally find adorable**). I'd much rather be called by my alias."

"But isn't Yoshi a snake anyway?"

"No, he's a dinosaur."

"Wouldn't that be better?"

He gave her an exasperated look. "Not if that dinosaur has chubby cheeks, talks like a constipated child, and poops out polka-dotted eggs."

Mikan looked amused. Yoshiro looked annoyed. And Persona just looked like he wanted to slap some sense into the two most well-known operatives of the DA class.

"Let's brief."

"Yes, sir, Persona!"

Giggle. "Okay, Rei!"

-x-

Saying he forgot about that talk would be a lie. Saying he forgot about what happened would just be something no one would believe. Saying that what she did for him changed him was a fact that everyone knew well. It was something nobody understood but everyone was grateful for.

Mikan Sakura was the girl who awakened the good in him, the one who was able to bring it out, but that didn't mean it was never there before. There had only been two people before that particular girl who had acknowledged it, which made them two people he greatly respected.

One of the two he killed. The other was in a critical condition all the time because of the affect his Alice had on her.

Nobara Ibaragi was known as the Ice Princess and was hated among her peers for a long time, all because she had been there for _him_. Her split personality and dangerous Alice caused her classmates to all be harsh on her, also because she was his pet.

When she had disobeyed his orders for the first time, he was furious. He was betrayed. That was why his Alice's strength overtook his better judgment, and when she had stayed back to fight him to protect Mikan—the only girl who had been kind to her from the beginning, even knowing what she did—she was affected. Nobara had been reluctant to fight back Persona directly, trying to convince him that there would always be people there for him.

In the end, she was harmed. He was hurt.

But he had half-forgiven himself.

The Ice Princess and he then met up with Yuka just before the woman found her daughter and they decided their assault on the original ESP, Kuonji. Nobara had bluntly offered the woman to steal her Alice so she could give it to Mikan, knowing that her friend would need it. Yuka accepted. But since Nobara had the unlimited Alice, just like Narumi did, her Alice was not completely gone, though weakened.

The pig-tailed girl had received the Alice and it served its purpose helping defeat the ESP and all off his clones.

Once the war was over and during that session in which they healed everyone who was harmed, they realized that Persona's Alice wouldn't fully be stolen from Nobara's body since it meshed with her own's infinite capability. So she had to live with that curse in her every day, giving her bursts of pain every once in a while, bringing her down.

He brought her pain.

Persona made a choice—he had nowhere else to go but to stay at the academy and train the new generation of DA members. He stayed with the ice girl all the time, waited for a chance to redeem himself. A chance so he could make up for the horrible things he did. He gave them advice, he monitored missions, he did everything he could to help once he learned about the new problems. But it wasn't enough.

Everyone outside his class still feared him. His students were mostly just suicidal. The Alice he had still left no room for disobedience, and only the remaining class from before the War had ever talked to him like he was somewhat human.

Then _she_ came back.

He was assigned to train her. He wasn't planning to tell anyone about what happened that made him open up, but he had learned to appreciate her. He cared for her like she was his little sister. So that's why he promised himself that he wouldn't make the same mistakes he did for the only two people he truly cared for before.

He wouldn't hurt her. With everything he could, he would do his best to protect her.

And that wasn't a promise he was planning to break.

* * *

**I know that this is a very short chapter where not much goes on, but I just thought Persona deserved a little time of his own. **

**Believe it or not, he's one of my favourite characters!**

**Anyways, here's the important question for the next chapter! Do you want it to be about:  
**

**1) Mikan's original classmates (like what's up with Koko and Sumire, Anna and Nonoko, and of course, Natsume and Mikan)**

**or**

**2) the AAO's past (it holds some of the secrets, but I have to warn you that it has some OCs)**

**So message me or review and tell me which one you want first! **

**I'll post as soon as I get about ten or so suggestions so I have an idea on which one you guys want. **

**Whichever one you choose affects the way the story moves on.  
**

**Thanks a bunch! :D  
**

**-Starlight Curse  
**


	13. Her indirect save

**Hiya there!**

**Yay! We finally reached 100 reviews! C:P* (ahem, that's a demented party hat smiley... can't use the arrow haha)  
**

**I want to thank everyone who has been supporting me so far! Really! Your reviews just make my day. **

**And another special thanks to all of the people who answered the previous question! It helped a lot with deciding! :)  
**

**So here it is, chapter thirteen (as _not _unlucky as I could make it haha) and I got slightly more 2's than 1's. **

**That means we're diving deep into the AAO's past (but I'll still throw in a bit of the original classmates for those who voted otherwise). **

**It may be a bit confusing, so if you don't really get it, read the A/N at the end of this chap.  
**

**Hope you like it anyways! :D  
**

* * *

Her indirect save

He was watching her. She moved with a grace that he had never seen before, and her eyes held a secret that he knew she wasn't about to tell. Her hair was always still in its pigtails, high and finished with a bright red ribbon. If anyone glazed over the scene, they would've thought she was the exact same girl she had been two years before.

He was watching her. He knew better.

He was watching her as carefully as he could without provoking the jealousy of his crimson-eyed best friend. Natsume had always been provoked by the simplest of things, and there was no way Ruka would want to be the one to anger him this time.

But he still had to watch her.

Of course, Ruka didn't hold his crush on Mikan anymore. She was always meant to be with Natsume, that much everyone could see, so the affection he felt only converted to friendship. She was beautiful and sweet and caring to everyone so it was no surprise he had fell for the sunshine, but unknown to most, his eyes had switched to a totally different girl.

Which was who told him to watch her.

Out of all the girls in the academy, he never would've expected that the one to catch his interest would be the most cold-hearted of them all. She was the sheer opposite of his first crush and everyone labeled her as the Blackmailing Queen. It suited her well considering that he was one of her most popular targets.

Still, she was kind and he could see that in her blank purple eyes, even when she used to hit her best friend with her Baka Gun. Maybe that was why he liked her (for being kind, not torturing Mikan).

The question at the moment wasn't whether or not Ruka did though, but _how much_ he did. The fact that he was keeping his eye on the one she had specified at that very moment was a good enough answer.

And over the days, he noticed things he was sure his best friend saw too. The small scrapes and bruises she had marked on her pale skin, and the way she skipped out on after-school activities to go God knows where. How on weekends she was usually nowhere to be found, and that no teacher bothered to pick on her during classes.

There was also a new purpose that she wasn't sharing, and for some reason, his best friend never argued with her on those terms. In fact, Natsume had been skipping out lately too, and was never found in any of his usual spots.

Those were the sorts of things that went into his reports.

Ruka knew things about her. He used to think he knew her well, but now he wasn't so sure. There was something in her that had died, taking some of her usual cheerfulness with it. She was forcing herself to smile for everyone else. He may not have his crush for her, but that didn't mean he didn't care. It didn't mean he couldn't see the drop in her eyes every time she talked.

His reports heard of those small details too.

After all, he was specifically instructed by _his _girl to watch out for Mikan if she got back before she did, and unless he wanted to go against the wrath of Hotaru Imai, Ruka knew better than to disobey.

When the inventor would come back to see her best friend as thoughtful as she was now, there was sure to be chaos.

And way too much invasion of privacy.

-xox-

Time passed by, not slowly, not fast, but at a steady pace. Just like it should.

Everything seemed like an endless and repetitive cycle, a routine which change didn't bother to visit. She would wake up, go for training, go to school, go for as many missions were assigned, then she'd get some sleep—or at least whatever pathetic excuse for it that just wasted time during the night.

Missions were the only things that really held any difference. Most were PRs, but there had been the occasional IG (Information Gathering) missions, as well as scouting ones and short arrests. Lately, the AAO had been holding back. There wasn't a single mission which posed any sort of real threat. Not a single one that managed to stop her from doing her job.

She'd only seen the telepathic twins once since—it had been two days after her paired mission with Yoshiro. They didn't say anything about her memories or the secrets she kept, and she could only thank Kimi's boyfriend (though she'd scream if anyone called them that aloud) for that. It was obvious he'd coaxed them out of interrogating Mikan, probably getting them to understand a bit more.

She was grateful to him, even though she knew his secrets.

After their mission together, there was a… debate. It was more like a fueled argument between the DA advisor and the ESP. The two kids had come back okay since it was just a quest for info, but Persona was still pissed at the woman behind the desk, who could be described nothing more than as a stubborn subordinate. He wouldn't tell Mikan exactly what was up, but it was obvious that even Camilla was bristled because she gave harsher calls the few days after.

Something small couldn't have made her that mad.

Yoshiro denied knowing anything about it either when she had asked him, and Kimi only commented, "It seems like she's got a bigger stick up her ass than from when I once told her that point-toed heels were so _yesterday_." Kouta just wacked his sister on the arm.

On the other hand, her classmates were already used to her being busy all the time. Not even Natsume really questioned her actions anymore. Actually, he had been pretty busy lately too, ever since the day (and night) they spent together. But whenever she mentioned anything about the Black Cat to Persona, he just wore an amused smile and said nothing.

Strange.

Between missions and such, sleep and wake, Mikan liked to take the extra time to visit Youichi. He always seemed to know whenever she was dropping by, so she had not once surprised him. That didn't stop her from trying.

He was still growing, as hard as it was to believe. Every time she visited him he seemed to have new advice to give her. He kept assuring her that nothing she told him was being a burden, and he always knew how to pick apart her movements when she was distracted. The little boy was a little mastermind, and Mikan can never help but think that someday he'll rule the world.

It was a good thing he was on their side.

Now she didn't bother to count the scars she held, because the number would just be much too large to remember, and if anyone was to ask her, she could now lie and say she didn't know. If they heard the number it was no doubt they would hold narrow eyes at the academy. She didn't need to them to. Those marks were earned by herself and herself only. It was nobody else's fault.

Outside it was sunny. It had always been sunny the past few weeks since she'd joined regular classes, no hint of rain or cloud. She found it strange. Was it an Alice? Who could tell; there were a lot of weather Alices around the academy, so maybe they were just having a good month.

She was walking blithely down the path, taking deliberate steps that showed her skipping steps resided. A lot of attention had been paid to the way she walked now, so she was careful to add in a few clumsy moments and random stumbles.

It was amazing how much the little things she did made such a big impact.

Today was a special day, a day out of her crazy routine. Mikan had always been one to dislike repetitiveness, so why she let everything drag on was a surprise to everyone. But it all led up to this day, which she had specifically made plans for so she could book it off from missions (that she would just make up for the next day).

The bright sun in the cloudless sky was hard to look up against. As she climbed up the thimble branches of the cherry blossom tree, she was glad that he had chosen one that was full grown so she could actually see in front of her. When she reached the top, a voice rang out, as cocky and self-redundant as ever.

"Hey, Polka. You're late."

"Oh, shut it, Natsume. It was your fault for getting Jin-Jin to give me a detention. Just my luck that he comes to substitute the day I feel like yelling back at you."

"Tch. Blame me as always."

"Jerk."

The boy's lips quirked up.

-xox-

"Okay, Rei. Stop being so secretive and tell me what's going on."

Mikan sat on a thick tree branch that stuck out of one side in the perfectly round clearing, swinging her legs daintily underneath. She looked down to her trainer who was standing in the center with a blank face, but she knew better. His attitude had been off ever since she got back with Yoshiro.

"Nothing."

She gave an exaggerated sigh and jumped down. She was a good two heads shorter, but that didn't stop her defiant look and crossed arms from having an impact. Persona raised his eyebrows at the girl's straightforward accusation: "Something's up, and it has to do with Camilla-chan… therefore meaning Yoshi."

He said nothing and Mikan sighed again. The thing was that he had always tried to keep problems that didn't involve her to himself, no matter how many times she told him that he should let her help. Most of the time she let him be but it was obvious that this change was going to affect the entire mixed class. She couldn't just let him keep the burden to himself.

"Rei, what's going on?"

"…"

Waving a hand in front of his face, she said, "You're just wasting time stalling because you know I'm not going to head off to my mission unless you tell me what's wrong."

"…The AAO is planning something."

"But we already knew that," Mikan pointed out. "They've been planning something ever since they started kidnapping parents. It just seems that their plans are getting more defined because the number of PR missions isn't as high as it had been two weeks ago."

Persona nodded. "Right. Do you remember the information you got from your mission with the Snake?"

She bit her lip. "Yeah. He wasn't too happy about it though."

"Of course he wasn't. He may have left them behind, but that doesn't mean he still doesn't care."

"They're his half brothers, after all. Until he broke free of the AAO, they were really close too." Mikan felt really bad for Yoshiro. Their enemy was the very side most of his family was working on; even though she had a lot to deal with, she couldn't even fathom what he must've been thinking. Yoshiro always put on a tough face, but Mikan could see he wasn't a fan of anything they had to do.

"Don't feel bad for him," he asserted bitterly as if he read her mind. "The Snake could've broken free any time he wanted too, unlike the Angel. His mother was _here_, but it took him _five months_ after that before he decided to abandon the bad guy charade, and many years before."

"But his brothers were there," Mikan defended him. "He couldn't have just left them."

"Half-brothers," Persona corrected. "One of which was locked up because he refused to cooperate in the evil game they played willingly."

"Sora had always just been pure-hearted, even before I brought him back."

The proudness in Mikan's voice made him roll his eyes. "But Caro had decided with the information that she's going to send in double agents, and there were two candidates who used to be a part of the enemy, but you know how she's not going to let her son go."

She was still for a bit, pondering what he was telling her when her eyes widened. "She's going to send _Sora_? _Why_?" Her voice raised an octave. "Why would she want to do that? He never worked with them even before, so why would she even think that he'd go this time?"

His eyes showed that that was exactly what they argued about.

"There's no way he's going back, Rei," she griped, her voice holding down. "He was like a prisoner there the first time, so if they take him back it'd be a surprise."

He just stood there, waiting to deny the suggestion he knew she was about to offer.

"I'll go instead."

"No."

Mikan's eyes flashed as she locked them with his. "I'm not going to send him back there. You didn't see how bad it was; that was why when I found him I had to bring him here. Away from them." When she spoke again, the words were hard. "I'm not going to send him back there."

"It's not your call to make—"

"We can't just—"

"—and it's not mine, either, but—"

"Rei, I won't—"

"—I never agreed to it," he finished. "I already told her that we don't need to send someone in. We'll find out information another way."

This time when she looked at him, her eyes were full of appreciation. She threw herself into his arms for a hug, making him almost stumble back from shock and from the surprising strength the little girl had. "Thank you, Rei! You're the best!"

Rolling his eyes once more, he just muttered, "And it wasn't even you."

She giggled and the sound felt soothing to his ears.

"Now let's get back to the briefing."

"You've always been all business, huh, Rei?"

"…Be quiet."

-xox-

He limped his way to his room unnoticeably. Nobody was in that area at the moment, so why he was trying not to show his pain was a mystery. The academy had reserved a section in the Hanahime den for all DA members who didn't attend regular classes, so it didn't rouse any suspicion amongst the normal students.

Honestly, Yoshiro thought all that was just plain _bull_.

Once in his bedroom, he dropped down on his bed, not even caring that blood would get on his sheets. They would clean it out later. Besides, he had just skipped out on his scheduled checkup with Subaru because he didn't think his injuries were that bad. A slashed leg was honestly not even the worst of what he'd felt before.

In a few hours he would go up to his mother and ask for another mission—no, demand would be a better word for it. He'd been irritable lately, just like she was, but his reason was different. Two weeks before, on his mission with Mikan, he had witnessed the labor his brothers were being put through. It was horrifically horrible in every way.

And he was to blame.

Because he had left the AAO's side, Hiroto and Takeharu had more work to accomplish. There weren't many other Alices on the bad side (just like on the academy's) that were willing to fight, so of course there would be lots of missions piled on the individuals. Still, those two were _children_, and their own for that matter.

Yet they still worked.

Thinking about the two people who led the antiestablishment just put a darker mood on Yoshiro. They were heartless beings, only thinking about themselves and their own survival. Why he put up with them for all those years was a wonder. Maybe he was just looking for something to do. If one had to admit, he had once been a rotten child that matched his parents perfectly.

And then he thought about his other half-brother, the one who was working for the good side the entire time, even though, in counting, he'd only been at the academy a little under two years. The one who'd suffered under abuse because he refused to believe that what his parents were doing was right.

The angelic _fool_.

He remembered everything. Everything from his childhood crimes to the day he came here. It rang as clear as a bell, no matter how much Yoshi wished he could put it all behind. All the bad things he did, all the crimes he committed led up to a day that still brought more pain. Over the while he had been here, he realized that there were many people like him; people wanting to do good to erase the bad they had done before.

But he knew that it was never enough.

Yoshiro laid his head back on his pillow, propping his hands behind it and closed his eyes._ A little remembrance couldn't hurt_, he thought, as the images came swirling back to him.

-x-

He spent seven years working for the AAO. Seven, freaking long years. What possessed him to stay was inconceivable, but he had. The fact that Yoshiro had was not one to be erased.

At five years old, his Alices were stronger than a regular child's, and his brain was matured more too. He lived with his father, stepmother, and two half-brothers in a small, secluded village fifty miles from the borders of Tokyo city. He went to school, played at the park, beat his brothers in video games and so on. Yoshiro lived life like a normal kid did.

Even when he wasn't.

His brother, Takeharu, was one year older than him and Sora. Some people called them enemies since they were constantly at each other's throats for the littlest things, but the three boys actually thought themselves to have a pretty close bond. Maybe it was kind of necessary that they had to have each other's backs, with the way their parents treated them.

Shina was about the most spoiled brat of a girl Yoshiro had ever seen. She was whiny and childish and knew nothing about how to take care of a child. All she did was order everyone around to do things exactly how she wanted, or there'd be a hell of a lot of screaming. Sato just agreed to her every wish, buying her whatever she wanted all the time. He paid no attention to his boys at all—though maybe that was better than the abuse of their mother.

Times always came when he wanted to just run away, but his lil' bro (by just a month) Sora's Alice wasn't yet tamed, so his wings weren't easily hid (meaning the academy would find them if they left their town), and Take just didn't want to leave his parents behind.

After all, they were only so young.

Where his real mother was, Yoshi didn't know, but he never took the time to wonder about things like that. All he knew was that the woman's name was Camilla Caro, and that was enough to satisfy his interest. He was a young troublemaker; a brat; the kind of kid teachers gave detentions every day. Sora wasn't even able to stop him from wreaking havoc in classes since their parents had forbidden him from leaving the house (apparently they used to go to the academy and didn't like it…? The only words they seemed to use when describing it was a long list of profanities that should never be repeated by or in front of a child).

So trouble always found him.

Yoshiro didn't care though. He didn't care about anything at all actually, except his brothers. He spent a bunch of time picking at peoples' memories, so when they tried to bother him, he would shoot back all the problems they were going through in front of everyone. Causing many kids (and the occasional grown men) to cry.

Which brought him back to the troublemaking.

That was why, at five, when his parents told the three that they had successfully created an army, Yoshiro didn't bother object to being sent off into a big war. He was a kid looking for trouble and adventure; he was an idiot who thought that nothing could ever be worse than what he was doing already.

He was wrong.

Shina was a woman with a terrible Alice: the Alice of human puppetry. She could conjure up as many soldiers as she wanted, each being like a full grown person. Being a person with reasons, and thoughts, and having everything a normal human had. Except a will. She made an infinite number of people who she sent all around the world, each carrying her orders in their heads as if she was right there to dictate it.

Soon their army built of more than just Shina's puppets. Many Alices who had yet to get their revenge on the academy, and many humans who thought that the way the academy worked was wrong. Lies were told and alliances were built—in the end (not that it should even be called that), the Anti-Alice Organization was built.

Its target: Alice Academy.

Yoshiro didn't even bother to understand the academy's reasons. He complied to what his parents told him to do without even a speck of hesitation the way Take did. Takeharu didn't want to hurt anybody. That was the main reason for his reluctance. But somehow Sato managed to get under the boy's skin, and he was involved just as much as Yoshi was.

Sora was a totally different story. He refused to answer to any of their demands, no matter how much his parents yelled, and no matter how much Shina hit him. Yoshiro blamed the boy's Alice—the freaking angel didn't know when to quit it with the innocent act, and even though his bruises grew more defined, the boy still managed to hold the defiant look in his eyes. He was only five, but boy did he already have his resolve planned out.

With that, Shina had had it. She commanded her husband to lock the boy away from her sight in one of their secret bases before stalking off with a loud screech. Whiny, yes she was. But for some reason, Sato took no pause before doing exactly what his wife had wanted.

After Sora was sent away, Yoshiro got more ruthless. His actions held no mercy, and he never thought twice before harming others. Since his Alice was not an offensive one, Yoshiro was equipped with a small handheld shocking gun, made from the invention Alice of his own father. Take received something like it too, though his wind Alice was offensive enough.

The AAO didn't start very many attacks on the academy back then. During that time, they were just gathering information from previous Alice Academy alumni. For some they had to force the information out of, and for others they despised the academy enough to reveal info willingly. Like for the members of another organization named Z; the AAO worked through them for a couple of years, keeping their own group a secret to have more affect later on. So all they really did was just a few kidnappings and attacks.

Then, when he was nine, Hiroto came in. How he just appeared like that was something Yoshiro never knew. Shina introduced him proudly as their new half-brother, though they had never seen him before in their life. Take and Yoshi started off wary around the boy because he was so quiet and his expressions were indifferent, and to top it off, he had an extremely dangerous Alice—its ability to amplify someone's pain. But after some time, they came to realize the reasons behind his reluctant actions:

Hiroto didn't want to hurt anyone.

But all three knew better than to disobey their mother's orders, remembering where Sora was at that very moment.

When he turned eleven, Yoshiro witnessed the sudden change in the AAO's offences. They had broken away from the disbanded Z and were rising on their own attacks. Most of their commands were directed at the academy parents; no one knew why. All everyone did was listen to Shina's disoriented commands, whether it be silly or completely crazy.

He was no different.

They kidnapped parents without a second thought, and battled it out when the academy sent students to retrieve. Yoshiro received bruises and cuts but he never thought anything about his injuries; his father always healed them when he got back. Occasionally he would visit Sora, still caged in one of their bases, 'cause even though the boy was put through so much, he still talked to his older brother like he had years before.

Yoshiro never believed he deserved it.

After all, the other AAO recruits always looked at him like he was some kind of monster, and he had come to believe them.

Then he remembered the day a certain brunette arrived at the base Sora was chained to, on the same coincidental day Yoshiro and Takeharu were guarding, to retrieve two parents. She had defeated the puppet guards with a larger variety of Alices than he had ever seen, and the determination set in her eyes was unmistakable. Sato had once told them if a girl in white appeared, they were to stay back and just watch because until they were stronger, he didn't want to lose his sons to her.

That's what the two boys did; they just watched her eliminate their numerous amount of guards and stayed back as she freed the parents, seeing everything on a big TV screen in a room away from danger. It was a command; they weren't supposed to do anything else.

Maybe they would've followed orders if that certain White Flower didn't pass by one certain room, seeing the certain boy with wings chained in a cage.

Yoshiro remembered seeing her mouth move to talk to him, seeing his brother answer back, and watching a small conversation took place between them. Even after watching it through Mikan's memory a year later, the words were still confusing to him. Then he saw her somehow break off the Alice shackles on Sora's wrists and watched as she helped them out.

That was about when he jumped in.

He didn't know if it was instinct or something else, but something pulled Yoshi to disobey his father's direct orders and ran off to his brother's 'room.'

Arriving on the scene, Yoshi called out to his brother, but it was too late. The girl linked hands with the two parents and with Sora, and with one last smile, his brother was gone. He was angry upon disbelief that he didn't even care when his mom punished him for going against his father's wishes, and during the next few weeks, his attitude took a sharp turn for worse.

Faintly, he remembered questioning his older brother why he didn't jump out to save Sora too. Take didn't say anything other than that it went against his parents' wishes. Horrified, he realized that Takeharu, his caring big bro, had turned cold under the time in the AAO's influence.

And he also realized what the AAO was doing to him.

But the only time Yoshi thought of stopping was when he ran into his younger brother again, during one of his guardings. That was a meeting he was pretty sure he would never forget. Sora looked healthier; the academy was obviously feeding him better than his parents had. He also looked kind of… happier. Like he found a new purpose to fight for. Sora still had that flashy smile from when he was young, and the same lighthearted attitude. He still grinned and treated his brother no differently from when he had before. He started up a regular conversation as if nothing had changed, as if they weren't enemies. But he also offered something.

"_You should come back to the academy, Yoshi_," Sora had said. "_It feels nice for once. Helping people. Saving parents. It makes you feel good._" Then he paused and added, "_And I found your mom. Camilla Caro? She's the elementary school principal at the academy. She obviously hates me, but I told her that she'd like you, Yoshi. You're good, whether you think so or not." _

With one last goofy grin, Sora left his brother standing there, dumbstruck, as the younger kid flew off, saving the parents with ease and with a smile. And he was gone. Yoshiro spent the next few days pondering what he had said.

When Yoshiro came to the academy to stay, it was one and a half years ago. One month after Sora. Five after Mikan. Seven after his mother. Obviously he had taken Sora's comments to heart, because when he showed up on the academy's doorsteps, the first thing he asked for was to see his mother.

Camilla had been delighted to see him. Even though he had been killing ruthlessly in the past, the mother welcomed her son into the family with open arms. After a bit of catching up, he asked to see his brother. The woman made a face at the mention of the angel boy, but she agreed to his request nonetheless.

The moment Yoshiro had walked into the room, he saw his brother laughing at the brunette girl, the same one who had taken him away that day. She had a smile on her face even as she stuck out her tongue at the boy and gave him an answer. Then Sora saw his brother and his face lit up even more, immediately running to give him a hug. To say it caught him off guard was putting surprise mildly—Yoshi knew his brother would be happy that he finally left the bad-guy side, but he didn't think that he would be happy to see just _him_. Plain old Yoshiro.

But he was.

And maybe that was what made Yoshi loves his lil' brother even more.

Being a part of the DA class was one of his first decisions; he wanted to make amends, and he wanted to help. Yoshiro brought in lots of new information about the AAO for the academy, including the Alices of the leaders, a.k.a. his parents (step, Camilla liked to remind him). Most of the info his mom said to keep away from the class members, though, a fact that confused Yoshi and angered the DA advisor, Persona.

Yoshiro didn't really like the man in black, thought that he was too cold and had a violent Alice. But when Mikan had told him part of Persona's story, his opinion changed. He learned that Persona was just like him.

Camilla had also said that ties between him and his brother had to be kept secret from the class members too. At first Yoshiro denied it; there was no way he wanted to have to pretend to not know his brother. But soon he came to agree with his mother's decisions, seeing how it would be better for the both of them if they weren't related in any way.

Their last names were different; since Sora had came first, he stuck with Arai (Shina's last name) which was the one he had already been known to be. Yoshiro took Watanabe (his father's surname), since he was also relinquished from his ties to the ESP (to not provoke ideas of favouritism).

So Yoshiro Watanabe entered the academy records with no siblings, no parents, and no past.

He preferred it that way.

A lot of info was told to Mikan, but some things were still kept under strict secrecy.

After spending some time with Sora and Mikan, Yoshiro realized how cold he had actually gotten. The two were lighthearted and free, even under the horrible circumstances of their pasts, and yet they were still able to smile a smile that freed everyone else of their worry. Unlike him. Yoshi refused to smile at all.

That is, until he met up with a certain loud-mouthed, stubborn, golden-eyed girl. Then everyone seemed to feel obligated to note the change in him.

Though that didn't stop Persona from giving him the evil eye.

Still, believe it or not, Yoshiro was glad he came to the academy.

-x-

Fed up with remembering, Yoshiro snapped his eyes open. A bad thing that came with having the memory Alice was that his own was photogenic. That sucked for a guy who wanted nothing more to do with his past. At least his type of mem Alice wasn't offensive like his mother's, then who could've known what he would've done with it?

Once he opened his eyes, they locked onto the edge of his bed where a golden thing was seated quietly, hands moving swiftly over his leg. Blue irises widened then narrowed as he recognized the blob.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed automatically, trying to pull his injured leg away.

The girl shot her golden eyes at him in a glare and held his ankle in place so she could continue to wrap the long white bandage around it. "Nice to see you too, Yoshi. You should be a little more kind to the girl who's trying to help you."

"I never asked for your help." Yoshiro winced inwardly at the venom in his tone. Softening it up a bit, he asked again, "What are you doing here, Kimi?"

The golden girl ignored him as she finished wrapping his leg up in the adhesive gauge, then carefully taped the ends so it stayed in place. Impatiently, he opened his mouth to ask again when she answered, "Imai said you missed your appointment. He sent me to check to see if you were still alive, considering you didn't even bother to sign in with Persona." Her glare intensified. "You have to stop _forgetting_."

"And you have to stop worrying," he returned coldly.

His comeback was supposed to be threatening, but Kimi just laughed. "Like I can do _that_."

It seemed as if her words had more of an impact that his did. Yoshiro sat up now, and purposefully lightened his tone when he said, "What if I didn't, huh? What if I didn't forget to sign in with Persona because I was really _dead_?" He put the teasing edge into his voice to prompt a non-serious topic, but he really wanted to know if she'd miss him if he was gone.

Kimi got up and crawled to sit up in front of him, grabbing hold of his torn shirt so their faces were just centimeters apart. With a menacing gaze, she drawled out every word, "You wouldn't dare chance it. You know that I'd bring you back from the dead just to kill you again if you ever got seriously hurt."

Yoshi grinned at her answer. "Is that really any way to treat a hurt patient?"

She laughed again, her bell-like voice filling his ears as she gave him a quick peck on the lips, before sinking down beside him.

He couldn't think of any other sort of heaven.

* * *

**I'm finally done this chapter! Yay! :)**

**Confused? It's probably hard to remember all the OC's I made… oops.  
**

**Here's a clarification on family ties: **

**-Yoshiro's mom is Camilla Caro, the ESP.  
-His dad, Sato Watanabe, is the head of the AAO with another woman, Shina Arai, who had two sons, Takeharu and Sora (yes, angel boy Sora).  
-That makes Yoshi the half brother of the two.  
-Yoshi took the last name of his father (Watanabe) so it wouldn't cause suspicions onto what his relations with the ESP was.  
-Camilla despises the AAO because it is led by her ex-lover and his wife, so she joined the opposing side (the academy).  
-That's mainly the reason she hates Sora, because he carries the other woman's blood.  
-Sora has his mother's last name (Arai) like Takeharu does, so it doesn't connect him to Yoshi.  
-Take and Sora share one of the same Alice (wind).  
-Sora is younger by Yoshiro by a month (since they have different mothers), and Take is older by a year.  
-Hiroto and Take work for the AAO, and at first, Yoshi did too.  
-But Sora never agreed to the bad that they did, so he refused. That got his parents angry with him, so they locked him on one of the bases.  
-Mikan came to rescue some parents on that AAO base, and found Sora there so she offered him a chance to come to the academy.  
-He agreed (which was about four months after Mikan joined the DA class).  
-Yoshi came to the academy a month after Sora on his own, because he finally realized that what he did was wrong.  
-And as for Hiroto, they consider him as a half-brother, but his real origin will be clarified later. **

**Oh and _natural_ Alices:**

**Sora Arai: angel, wind, healing (unlim.)  
Yoshiro Watanabe: presence barrier, memory  
Takeharu Arai: wind, teleportation  
Hiroto: strain  
Camilla Caro: memory manipulation  
Shina Arai: wind, human puppet  
Sato Watanabe: teleportation, healing (unlim.), invention  
Kimi and Kouta Konoru: telepathy, light**

**Hope that helps! :P**

**And do not worry. Most of the explaining has been finished, so we can finally set the boring stuff aside (took a while though, haha)!**

**If you need any more clearing up, feel free to ask me! :)  
**

**-Starlight Curse  
**


	14. All her classmates

**Look who's here? I'm finally back! ;)  
**

**Sorry for the late late late update**—**I hope you haven't been waiting long!**

**Last chap was probably a bit confusing to some, and I really apologize for that. **

**From the very beginning, I knew this fanfic wasn't going to be simple, but I also hadn't had all the details figure out like I do now. **

**So if some parts just don't make any sense with each other, go ahead and point it out to me, and I'll make sure to fix it!**

**And as soon as I finished up with this chap, I just had to post it up, so there might be some errors in this too. **

**To **_Yipstar_**: I agree with you on Camilla being an evil, evil lady. She's very unfair, but there always has to be a mean person on the good side sometimes, too, right? ;) **

**To **_Lila8171997_**: Thank you so much! Your review just made my day! :)**

**To **_Fallen Jewels_**: Sorry for not handing it over to you first, Julie; I wanted to get it up as soon as possible! :P**

**And thank you to everyone else who reviewed! It makes me happy to have so many dedicated readers! **

**This chap is for you!  
**

* * *

All her classmates

Her lab coat hung past her knees as she moved along the table, moving beakers around and mixing liquid with liquid. Many different chemicals were spread out across the long counter, but somehow the girl had all the names memorized off by heart. Some people would think that she knew so much on chemistry because of her Alice—maybe that was so.

But maybe it was also because she loved what she was doing.

She mumbled different names under her breath as she slipped on her goggles and tied her long, midnight blue hair in a ponytail on her head. The silence that droned around her was something she was grateful for—it was easier for her to work in her private lab that the academy had given her than the one she used for her job in Central Town.

"You-chan, You-chan," she sighed. "He's only so small—I have to make sure that this formula won't hurt him."

Even though it was way past bedtime, the girl refused to stop working. A lot of her time was spent in either classrooms or in other laboratories, so the time she had to work on her own was limited. If missing a few hours of sleep meant finding out the compound to solve someone's problems, why wouldn't she take the chance?

As she was just pouring a slightly explosive substance into another, she heard someone clear its throat behind her. She stopped immediately and snapped an indestructible lid on top of the beaker before turning to where the sound came from.

A man stood tall in the corner, dressed in all black. The girl took in his mask and expressionless face and the first thought that came to her mind wasn't a positive one.

"W-who are you?" she asked tentatively.

He took a step forward, resulting in the girl taking a step back. "You're Nonoko Ogasawara?"

She bit her lip. "And if I am?"

The man took another step forward, but this time, slid his mask down long enough so she could catch a glimpse of his face. Recognizing him, she relaxed slightly, but wondered if she shouldn't have. There were still stories about him hanging around the academy; just because she witnessed him helping out during the final battle didn't mean he was all good.

"What do you want?" Nonoko challenged.

Raising his eyebrows at her surprising fearlessness, he stated, "The academy needs your help."

-xox-

"Are you sure? It's been two days! Two days! How can she not be here?"

"I'm sure she's fine," Anna assured the frantic class representative. "Nothing bad could've happened to her. She's fine, Iinchou."

"How do you know?" Yuu asked skeptically. "Have you seen her?"

The pink-haired girl bit her lip. Actually, she _hadn't_ seen her best friend lately, but Anna just thought she was busy. She always had been since she started her new job. But still…

"Where could Nonoko-chan have gone?" asked Mikan. Until a moment ago, she had been seated in her seat in the back beside her sort-of-boyfriend, but now she was standing beside Anna's desk, watching Yuu pace around the perimeter of the room muttering strangely uncharacteristic words under his breath.

"I don't know," Anna admitted with a sigh. To be honest, it was bothering her, too. The person whom everyone called her twin had been absent from school for two whole days, and no one had seen her otherwise. Usually the blue-haired girl never missed a single class, being one of the Three Geeky Sisters (including her, Anna, and Hotaru) and a person who believed that school was fun (strange? Yes. Uncommon? In the academy? _Very_.). So her being away for even a short period of time created an entire class debate.

"Well, she's probably fine, so you should stop worrying. Kashi's going to be here soon," a boy grumbled from the back. Everyone glanced to see Natsume's annoyed face glaring at a particular brunette. They could obviously see he was annoyed that she had left his side, but Mikan didn't look at it that way.

"Natsume, we're just worried about Nonoko-chan," she returned with a pointed glance. "It really is strange that she's not here."

Honestly, Mikan didn't know anything about that certain girl's disappearance either, and that bugged her even more. Sure she went on missions and such, but lately there had been less information thrown on her and the DA class. It was strange; the AAO's assaults had been somewhat… delayed. Not many PR missions were assigned, and a lot of the IG assignments were coming up empty. Now one of her classmates was nowhere to be found, what could she possibly think?

_Note to self: ask Rei what's going on. _

"Do you think she's okay?" Yuu hoped to no one in particular. The class almost had to smile at his obvious crush on the chemist; they had gotten a lot closer in the time Mikan had been gone, and it was almost safe to say that the feelings were reciprocated. It was sweet.

"I'm sure she's fine," Sumire sniffed. "She probably just did this on purpose to get all of your attention."

"Nonoko wouldn't do that!" Anna and Yuu protested at the exact same time.

The green-haired girl grinned. "Of course she wouldn't. Ogasawara-chan is way too _pure_ for that, right Iinchou?"

A deep scarlet rushed into Yuu's cheeks as he tried to stammer out an answer, resulting in the entire class (minus the still sulking Natsume) to laugh, and Mikan to scold, "Don't be mean to him, Permy!"

She just shrugged and gave out another malicious smile. "I'm not being mean; I'm just pointing out the obvious. Like how, right now, Natsume-sama is trying his best to ignore you, but we can all see that it's just not working."

The boy in subject glared at the girl and growled, "I'm gonna burn your hair," just as Mikan wondered, "Why would Natsume try to ignore me?" and the class burst out into a chortle of laughter.

And Ruka, who had been silent throughout the whole conversation, reminded his best friend, "You aren't supposed to use your Alice, Natsume."

That got all of 3A to be quiet.

Then, "Why so serious?"

Heads swiveled around to look at the dirty-blond-haired goofball who stood there with a crazy grin on his face—which just so happened to be smeared with the rushed marker he held in his other hand. Kitsu just shook his head at his best friend's attempt to break the ice with a Batman **(A/N: Love the Joker! The movie… not so much. :P)** allusion.

And was even more amazed that it worked.

Suddenly, the entire class burst into discussion on how Batman would totally kick more ass if he were an Alice, which only led to another on questioning which superheroes _were_ Alices, and which were just another crazy guy in tights.

Well, all students except three.

One just sat stroking a white bunny's fur, keeping his blue eyes thoughtfully on the ground, and another pursed her lips and stared at the cat boy who sat silently in the back of the room, staring right back.

They knew what the other was thinking.

_Mostly_.

-xox-

Mikan wiped her forehead of sweat. Soaring through the thick night air, she thought about the lack of information she had just received on her past two missions. She thought about how, before she left, Persona had evaded her questions on Nonoko, and how he didn't say anything on how Natsume was doing either.

And she thought about how much she hated not knowing what was going on.

Checking her special Alice watch, she saw that it was still pretty early. Only about ten after dark. You-chan should be sleeping (she hoped), and all her classmates were probably in their rooms. Kimi and Kouta were out on a mission, and Yoshiro was consulting with his mother. Sora was still on the other side of the globe, and Mikan had already checked in with Persona telepathically.

_Mom_.

Now that she thought about it, she hadn't visited Yuka since just after she joined regular classes. Would her mother be sad that she hadn't been coming as often anymore?

_I'll go right now_, Mikan thought, and whirled around back on the branch, changing direction towards the campus hospital. She jumped swiftly, metal bracelets clinging together as she moved. The Alice-controlling devices always bothered her, but she would rather look like a Christmas tree than hurt somebody she cared about.

Just as she was gliding over from a tree to another, though, her heart suddenly wrenched like it caught on fire. At the sudden pain, Mikan missed the handling on the branch and tumbled down to the ground, landing in a not very soft bush. But it wasn't the pricking of branches that made her gasp for air, and it definitely wasn't the hard ground that sparked the growing fire.

She rolled over onto her knees, trying to blink through tears that had somehow made their way out of her eyes as she coughed repetitively, each time drying her throat even more. The fire started to spread from her chest down her lungs, where the fire burned intensely without even a pause, or a sign of a retreating flicker. Then it slowly faded away as Mikan regained her eyesight, and the shallow breaths cleared of smoke. Her breathing still hitched, and she had to wipe her eyes several times before the tears stopped coming.

The ground where she had coughed on was now covered in red, and Mikan winced at the sight before freezing it over with her ice Alice, the water draining away the bright colour. Getting up off the dirty path, Mikan dusted herself off once, mentally wondering why, for the third time that month, she started having spasms of heat in her chest. Was she doing too many missions? Maybe so, but she had never thought once to stop.

Brushing the idea out of her mind as quickly as it came, she grabbed onto another branch to leap up into the air.

Seeing her mother's room's balcony, Mikan added an extra push into her jump to fling herself onto the platform. She landed with a soft thud. The glass door was slightly open—for her? Persona?—but before she could go inside, she saw movement come from inside.

She froze.

The shadow moved quickly to the door where she stood and she recognized the presence. Her mind drowned with questions, but all she could do when the door flung wide open was jump away, hoping that the person inside didn't see her.

-x-

The boy was sitting in the hard plastic chair, silent and still. He had just briefly informed the woman on the bed about how her daughter was doing and didn't know whether or not to go on. To Yuka, who sat like a Disney princess in her coma on the hospital bed, he had talked on about Mikan and her barely noticeable scars. About the way her body was inducing a large amount of stress that she so obviously tried to hide.

But he didn't say how much he was worried about her.

He closed his crimson eyes thoughtfully, trying to figure out what to say next. Ever since their very first date—could he call it that?—since she got back, he had always come here in his spare time. Sometimes he would tell her everything he knew. Sometimes he would just sit there in silence, thinking about everything that was happening.

Only few times had he seen other people in here. Mikan didn't come in, and he had to wonder if maybe she didn't know if she was allowed. Narumi had visited often, but whenever he saw Natsume in the room, he always made a point to leave before interrogating began.

Eventually, they stopped running into each other.

Natsume shifted in his seat as he opened his eyes. That was when he noticed movement on the other side of the balcony door, which he had opened slightly to let cool air into the stale hospital room. Swiftly, he got up to see who it was.

He pushed the door open.

He saw a white figure for a split second before it disappeared into the sky. Scanning the ground below again he realized that it was probably already long gone.

It was a person, he knew for sure. It had that particular essence about it that projected humanity. He could almost be positive that it was female from is small stature and long wave of dark hair, almost golden in moonlight. Was it a member of the mixed class? Why were they here? What did they want with Mikan's mother?

Slowly, Natsume backtracked into the room. The hairs on the back of his neck were on end and there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

He just couldn't identify it.

-xox-

"Three days. She's been gone three days and the academy hasn't sent a search party yet?"

Yuu brought his hands down on Anna's desk as he continued to rant on the blue-haired girl's absence. She flinched. What happened to their always reliable and rational class representative?

"They must have some kind of reason for why she's gone," Anna suggested with an innocent hope. "I mean, Mikan-chan was gone for a week on a business trip that one time. Nonoko always has been impressive at what she does."

Mikan twirled a piece of hair around her finger nervously at the mention of her absent week, but just said, "Yeah."

"Besides," Anna continued, "Hotaru-chan is on a business trip. Maybe Nonoko is on one too?"

"But why would she leave without saying anything?" Yuu prompted, obviously not satisfied.

Sumire shrugged. "Sakura did the same."

"That's probably it," Mikan put in, trying to divert the conversation away from her. "Nonoko-chan had been working at that one store in Central Town, right? Maybe people recognized her there."

"Still—"

"Iinchou, man, quit it," Mochu said. "The girl's probably fine. She's always been able to take care of herself."

"Yeah!" Koko grinned. "Ogasawara could probably round up some kind of formula that burns off somebody's eyebrows."

"Like she did with yours," Sumire snorted. Koko frowned and the rest of the class laughed.

When Kitsuneme joined in, Koko pouted, "Traitor."

Kitsu just shrugged. "You know, she's kinda right."

"I'm not the one who has short eyebrows! Natsume is!"

…

Anybody outside of class 3A could've heard the cry of, "Why is it always me?" and the crash that followed directly after.

Inside, Mochu sighed. "He should've watched where he was going. If Koko crashes into the wall like that every day in his attempt to escape Natsume's wrath, there's no doubt he'll be stupid."

"Well, Natsume shouldn't be so intimidating to him!" Mikan scolded. "He was just defending himself!"

Natsume glared. "Then he doesn't need your sympathy. If he was a real man, he'd stop trying to run away."

"Oh, _puh-lease_, Natsume!" She rolled her eyes. "Koko was right to—"

"Stop damn defending him, and get his head out of your lap!" Natsume growled.

Mikan rolled her eyes again and twirled a bit of Koko's dirty blond hair in her fingers, just adding fuel to the fire. Natsume glowered at the sight; when the boy had run into the wall because he was trying to watch his back on his way out and passed out, Mikan was the first one to go to help him. So, until he woke up, she offered her lap as a comfortable pillow.

And that, Natsume didn't like at all.

Nope. Not one bit. Little did Mikan know, her kind gesture just got the boy into a whole lot more trouble.

"I feel kind of responsible for this." Sumire didn't apologize. Instead, she held a big grin on her face.

"Don't look so happy, Sumire-chan," Anna giggled.

"What can I say? That idiot got what he deserved for insulting Natsume-sama."

The class rolled their eyes.

"Class! To your seats!" Kashi, their homeroom teacher, walked into the room with a thick stack of papers. The corners of his lips turned up as he announced, "We have a pop quiz."

And to that, the class groaned.

-xox-

Mikan was in her room, mission attire on, clipping on some bracelets when she got the announcement. She had been thinking about Natsume's appearance in her mother' s room but she didn't really have time to ask him during class because, for some odd reason, he had been foul with her the entire day after what happened with Koko.

_He's so cranky_, she thought to herself.

About to message Persona that she was on her way, the connection flared before she could activate it and a message rang out to a wide range of students:

_All DA members report to room D in the Hanahime den. I repeat, all DA members report to room D in the Hanahime den immediately. _

She could feel the entire class flurry with questions, but before she could even think about asking their instructor what was wrong, he clipped the connection clean with _everyone_. The only thing Mikan could do was report to the biggest meeting room in the middle school building and wait like everyone else.

And wonder what the hell was going on.

They hardly had any full class meetings ever since the AAO started full throttle attacks, and they hadn't had a meeting in room D since just after _Sora_ joined the DA class. Mikan could almost bet that everyone would be rushing over there just like she was, conjuring up crazy ideas on what was big enough to get all the academy's agents in one room.

Even though it was cold outside, none of her classmates paused on the way to the MS building.

"Look who finally decided to arrive?"

As soon as Mikan brought herself into the D room she was greeted by Rui Amane's grinning face. She immediately threw her arms around him and exclaimed, "Rui-senpai!"

The blond-haired teen patted her head. "It's been a while, huh, Mikan-chan?"

"Yeah," she agreed. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Oh, well Hajime, Hayate and I were just scouting for information around." He waved that away. Mikan raised her eyebrows at him, knowing there was more he wasn't telling her, but Rui just smiled and put a finger on his lips. From behind him, Hayate was arguing to the insect-controlling senior about some kind of comic book thing.

She nodded. "Did the twins get here yet?" she asked, changing the subject.

Before he could answer, Kimi appeared beside her and grinned wickedly. "Talking about me?"

"Kimi!" Mikan hugged both the girl and her brother. "Kouta! How was your last mission?"

"Boring," the girl answered the same time Kouta said, "Good." They shot each other exasperated looks.

"Let's just say both," Mikan said before they could debate on who was right. They may have been twins, but whenever they had different opinions in anything at all, it always resulted in big arguments. "So nothing happened?"

"Same here," Hayate jumped into the conversation. He ran a hand through his hair and repeated, "Same here. We hardly found anything. The AAO is really closed up at this point."

"Makes me wonder what this meeting is for," Hajime said thoughtfully.

Mikan nodded. "Yeah. I'd ask Rei but he's keeping connection locked. It makes sense since he'd be questioned like crazy by everyone, but it still bothers me."

"Do you think the AAO started something else?" Kimi suggested. "That would suck. I was getting used to the repetitiveness of their assaults."

"No kidding," Hayate agreed. "To think we almost had a perfect plan to overthrow them."

Just about everyone in the room turned to shoot him a look as Kimi blinked blankly. "We did?"

"Oh, uh, no," the boy under everyone's glare said quickly, putting his hands up.

"Hayate…" the golden girl warned.

He threw his hands down, and admitted, "Well, not that you were a part of."

"Hayate!" Mikan hissed.

Kimi spun on her. "You—"

"We're starting." Persona's voice came from the front of the room, and everyone turned their full attention to him, questioning how he got in without their notice. His raised eyebrow gave them their answers. They had been distracted; everyone made a point that they weren't anymore. Yoshiro stepped quietly through the door behind him and leaned against the back wall.

Mikan almost thanked him for his interruption when she saw the grim look on his face. She scanned the room and counted the many faces of the classmates she had gotten to know over the years and saw that practically everyone was there. Except one.

"Where's Sora?" she asked aloud.

Persona looked to her with a cold look that only she understood. "The ESP has him busy trying to find out what's going on in America. He won't be able to be here, but I'll send him all the information as soon as this meeting is over."

Yoshiro clenched his fist and Mikan bit her lip. It wasn't a surprise that Camilla didn't trust the Angel, but after all the time he put in trying to makes sure everything was okay, she would've thought that the elementary school principal would have learned to trust him already.

She kept her mouth shut as Persona talked on.

"All of you must have wondered what this meeting was called for, but I have to tell you that these instructions are not to be disobeyed. If you go against them, there will be a punishment. Unless you have permission from either myself or the ESP, action beyond our consent is prohibited. Is that clear?"

"Very," Kashino, one of the crazy, adrenaline-craved members of the class said with a nefarious smile. "Now get to the rule already so we can go off on our next mission. The past few have been too boring for my tastes."

Persona shot him a dark look which shut the boy up immediately. "The new rule is that every mission will be done in pairs."

Everyone blinked. They had expected _anything_ but that.

Then, as if someone turned off the mute button in the room, they all burst into questions and complaints.

"Why?"

"Are the AAO planning something?"

"There's no way I'm going with a partner!"

"You have got to be kidding me!"

"Is something wrong?"

"What in freaking hell?"

"Who's my partner?"

"Do we _have_ to comply to this?"

"I already have a partner!"

And so on.

A growl emitted slowly from Persona's throat at his classes heinous behavior which calmed—or scared—the voices down. He snapped his head around the room and his voice was cold and emotionless as he stated, "Common _sense_."

The whole class knew he was right. Half their objections were childishly unobservant.

"Your partners," Persona continued, "will be different each time. No," he shot a glare to the irritated Kashino before he could ask, "this is non-negotiable. Yes," he pinned his eyes to the telepathic twins, one of which was getting ready to protest, "you two will be paired with another, despite already being a pair. We won't separate you either. And no," his look turned bitterly cold as he looked at Daisuke, the most brutal and cold fighter they had (and scary, considering he always kept that huge battle axe with him), "you are not allowed to harm your partners. We have even larger punishments for that."

"How will you decide who goes with who?" Rui asked for everyone.

"It's random depending on who's free and who's hurt." The man said it so straightforwardly with no emotion like he expected people to get hurt that it made the room shiver. Only few weighed that he was actually trying to prevent it with this method.

"What's going on with the AAO?" another student asked.

Their trainer didn't waver. "Nothing. We're just being over-cautious."

It was a lie, Mikan knew, but she wouldn't point it out in front of the class.

"Are we having any missions today?" one boy demanded.

"Yes," Persona answered blithely. "Right after you finally get this rule and all its consequences through your thick skulls. Otherwise there might be something else driven into your head, more solid than you'd fear."

Mikan exchanged a glance with her blond upperclassman. Rui just nodded and they both knew that questioning Persona after this meeting was a plan. He only ever insulted the class with death remarks when things were extremely wrong, or if they were annoying him past his line. They probably provoked him both ways and that didn't mean anything good.

Once the rest of the DA class emptied their head of questions, they suggested that for the first mission, everyone's names will be in a hat so the two Persona drew out would go together. He thought it was a waste of time, but it happened anyway.

Kouta and Kimi were with some guy with the hyperactive voice Alice, a grouping Kouta couldn't help but grumble about. Rui was with a strength Alice; Hayate and Hajime were luckily paired together. Yoshiro went with Kashino (in which they both glared); and when Mikan's partner's name was drawn out, Persona's eyes narrowed.

It was Daisuke.

Honestly, not many people liked the guy. He always kept this giant battle axe at his side, wore a long scarf that covered half his face, and even though his posture always spelled out _bored_, his black eyes made everyone shiver and think _death_. Mikan didn't mind him; they never spoke. But by the way Persona gritted out his name, it was clear to Mikan that he didn't like her going on this mission with Daisuke, and if it wasn't by his own rule, he would've made the trade.

After everyone else was paired (only few, lucky people getting grouped with people they actually liked) and assigned a mission, Mikan and the gang stayed back and waited for everyone to file out. When the room was clear, she spun on Persona. "Rei, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," was his automatic answer.

Kimi crossed her arms. "Something's up, otherwise my brother over there wouldn't be grumbling about having to work with that loud highschooler." Kouta muttered something about horrible luck and earplugs.

"Yeah, the AAO must be planning something if it made you want to pair us up," Rui agreed.

Persona's eyes were narrowed as he looked over the group of seven teenagers in front of him. His mouth opened slightly to let a bubble of words flow out almost silently, "The reason for this is because we _don't_ know what the AAO is planning. They are no longer kidnapping parents, but each of their bases have been set up with thousands of soldiers. The ESP and I find it necessary to group our students together for backup."

They all pondered it when Hajime cut in.

"Yeah, that's another thing that's been bothering me. The AAO seems to have an unlimited number of soldiers, not Alices, but human." He put a hand on his chin. "I don't think that many regular people would join just to target our school. It doesn't seem right."

While Hajime was talking, Persona and Yoshiro locked eyes. Yoshiro just shrugged and said, "I think it'd be better if they knew what they were up against."

"And your m—"

"You know I love her, but sometimes she's wrong. I think you agree with me on that." Yoshi gave him a smirking look.

Persona ignored it and turned back to the others, who waited impatiently. Kimi didn't look too happy. He said, "The head of the AAO has the Alice of human puppetry."

…

"What?" everyone screamed.

Five clearly confused teenagers started shooting out questions accusingly, but Mikan just furrowed her eyebrows and looked to her trainer. "You never said _she _had that Alice."

He said nothing. Mikan pursed her lips, looking at him with confused brown eyes, but she didn't ask any questions like everyone else was. She couldn't find the words to say anything at all, that much he could see. That was probably why he ordered, "Leave. You each have a mission," to all of them. They grumbled, but complied, most likely thinking about cornering Persona right after. When everyone else was out of the room, Rui sparing her a sympathetic glance, Mikan turned to leave. "Mikan."

She stopped but didn't turn around. "I'll talk to you after the mission?"

He nodded, and even though she couldn't see it, she knew he agreed. "Tell your partner to keep quiet, as well."

This time Mikan turned to look at him. "What?"

Persona just pointed to the door before teleporting out.

Mikan strolled swiftly out of the room, closing the door behind her when she heard a low voice. "Ready to go?"

She wasn't startled to see Daisuke leaning against the wall on the outside of the room, and she knew Persona had implied he had heard their conversation. By the look on his face, she was positive he had. When he pulled his long weapon from the strap on his back, and twirled it easily between his fingers, Mikan didn't flinch, even though the blade passed only a centimeter away from her face. Instead, she tugged on the edge of her mask and offered a small smile to the black-haired boy. "Let's head out."

* * *

**The DA class has way too many OCs, I agree, but I couldn't just pull out Mikan's original classmates and make them start doing missions! **

**Can you imagine it? Yuu or Anna, Koko or Permy, outside the academy doing what Mikan has to do? **

**I can't do that to them! **

**To make it easy though, you really don't have to remember most of them, just the important ones. **

**Like Kimi and Kouta, Yoshiro and Sora, and if you're into bad boys, Daisuke will probably perk your interest. ;)**

**Oh, and Takeharu and Hiroto from the AAO are pretty important too, like their parents, Sato, Shina, and Camilla.  
**

**Rui, Hayate, and Hajime are all a part of the original DA class, in case you got confused. :)**

**Is it too much to ask for you to review? :)  
**

**-Starlight Curse**


	15. Her tragedy begins

**Either I get a cookie for updating, or a slap for updating so late. What do you think? :)  
**

**Hm, we're finally hitting the good part? Excited?**

**Sorry, this chapter (this whole story in fact) might be a bit confusing. It is made up of overlapping perspectives—still in third person—between two characters (care to guess?) over a brief lapse in time. I hope I made it pretty obvious what sections go with each other, but I apologize if you think otherwise!  
**

**Dedication: ****To all my readers who stuck with this story through thick, thin, and horrible updates. ;)**

**I hope you like it! :D**

**

* * *

**

Her tragedy begins

"Three," she whispered. "Three more minutes and we're going."

The boy shot her a look. Seeing the concern on the girl's face, the way her brown eyes were squinted and strained, Daisuke flicked his weapon in annoyance but nodded. He was never one to back down from a fight no matter how pointless the reason; that was how he was known to be the most dangerous member of their class. But even he knew when to quit.

Relief clouded her tone as Mikan said, "One round. Two stops. No fighting."

"Let's get this over with."

Half sprinting, half jumping, the two of them took off across the roof, keeping their feet light and patterns irregular. The girl's brown hair flicked back as she stopped suddenly, beckoning her partner to do the same. His dark eyes watched as Mikan hooked her feet onto the side of the summit and flipped upside down. Four seconds after, she pulled herself up.

He opened his mouth to ask what was there, but she put a finger over her own to silence him. She waved her hand for him to follow as she leaped down into a small collection of forestry beside the building.

They couldn't use their Alices here, that much she learned when she tried to communicate with telepathy when they first arrived in the area. They had some sort of barrier that flashed blinding sparks around an active Alice, and unless they wanted to be a flamboyant target, then it was best if they kept their powers under wraps unless it became necessary.

She hoped it wouldn't.

There was a long window along the side of the building on main level. She could see the guards that paced the perimeter inside, but nothing was happening that could explain the AAO's silence. Crouching low to the ground, Mikan advanced along the side, Daisuke right behind her. They ran into no guards around the trees, only wild animals and the chippering of night insects surrounded them.

"What the hell?" the boy swore suddenly, so loud that Mikan turned around to shush him. But the sight of a crazy squirrel plopped up on one branch, chucking small acorns at them wasn't something she expected to see.

"Is that a cute little rabid squirrel?" she asked in a hushed whisper, putting her hand up to flick away an acorn it tossed at her.

Daisuke shot her a malignant glare as he hissed, "What do you think?"

But then her eyes widened as the 'cute little rabid squirrel' started to twitch rapidly, eyes glowing a bright red, and it started to morph into something a little bigger than your average _bear_.

It was a machine.

Not cute, little nor a squirrel, though rabid still wasn't enough to cover it.

"That does not look good," Mikan said dumbly as the wild, metallic animal charged at them.

She dove out of the way as Daisuke lifted his battle axe to chop right through it, but it only clanged against very indestructible metal. He growled at the wild animal and swung one more time, but the bear-like creature just raised its huge paw to whack the large stick out of the way. Mikan ducked just as the axe imbedded itself into the tree where she had just stood.

The boy's already malicious glare narrowed to slits. Once Mikan realized what he was going to do, she yelled out, but Daisuke had already activated his Alice and the bear ripped apart, piece by piece, metal parts flying in every direction. He held his one hand out and his weapon flew right back into his clutch.

Sparks were everywhere.

Mikan shouted out a warning as Daisuke turned around to see the huge group of AAO soldiers coming towards them. The steel Alice's mouth pulled into a grim line as he said, "Looks like there's going to be a fight, after all," and the pieces of the bear started hurling through air.

-xox-

"You're impossible," Mikan gritted, stomping—and wincing—down the hallways of the Hanahime den.

The boy just rolled his dark eyes as he followed callously behind her.

They had just gotten back from their mission, and after she checked in with Persona and filled him in, he demanded the two of them see him in the den. As soon as they walked into the room, his voice boomed out, "What the hell were you two thinking?"

Daisuke raised his eyebrows in amusement and he sent the girl a look that said, _Is he always like this around you? _

It was her turn to roll her eyes.

"What part of _IG assignment _wasn't clear to you?" their trainer continued to thunder. "Information gathering missions are just for gathering info on the AAO and yet for some reason you decide to start some kind of war?" He jabbed a finger at Daisuke.

Mikan stepped in front. "It wasn't his fault, Rei. There was this huge mechanical animal, and, well, we would've gotten discovered anyways if he hadn't thought to pull it apart with his Alice. Besides," she added, wincing at the memory, "the pieces of it were helpful to him for defeating Shina's puppets."

"Shina?" Daisuke questioned.

"Oh, right," she remembered that he didn't know. "That's the name of the AAO head."

Before he could ask any more, Persona cut in. "It doesn't matter what the reason is, you two should've just teleported out as soon as you were discovered."

"And leave without any information?" Daisuke countered.

"Don't be smart-ass with me. Just because—"

"We're fine, Rei," Mikan interjected. "We came back fine, we got some new info for you, and we cleared out an AAO base. I'd say it was a success."

"But that wasn't the main objective of your—"

"Technically it was. We did our job to gather that their new plan is to capture as many of the academy agents as they can before they attack, and now we know that they have—" She looked at her partner "—non-cute, non-small, very-rabid, _bear _machines that activate when they sense us. And also that, while on base, we can't use our Alices without getting discovered."

Persona gritted his teeth. A minute passed of him glaring back at the little girl before he took a deep breath and said, "Fine. Head back to Imai at the hospital and he'll be waiting to heal your wounds."

"Okay," she agreed quickly, knowing that that would be the best form of acceptance she'd be getting from him. Daisuke grunted as he passed on his way out and Mikan stuck his tongue out at him, in which he returned with a docile glare.

Persona raised his eyebrows slightly behind his mask.

She knew he was asking her why she was so obviously annoyed with her partner. That was the only part she hadn't filled him in on through telepathy, so she tossed a laugh over her shoulder and called back, "He wouldn't let me heal him!" as she headed out.

"Should've thought," Persona muttered under his breath.

_We'll talk during class, Rei, _she told him telepathically, and he knew that she was smiling.

-xox-

Natsume's eyes narrowed as soon as she walked into the classroom.

Of course, being damn stubborn as he was, he kept his manga book over his face and feet propped up on the desk, but that didn't mean he didn't feel the way the room changed as soon as took a step through the sliding door. That didn't mean he didn't hear her high voice ringing as she greeted everyone good morning.

And that didn't mean his heart didn't pound when she took the seat beside him.

"Hn," he grunted when she chirped his name.

He could feel her exaggerated pout, and the perkiness in her voice as she said, "You're mean, Natsume." Then, as if nothing was wrong and everything was right, she began to chatter off about the most random things known to man.

During class, their English teacher was reading some sort of story to them, not even bothering to look up to notice that half the class had fallen asleep. Natsume just glanced over to Mikan who kept her chin on her hand, and her brown eyes pointed out the window.

They narrowed. Natsume watched, puzzled, as Mikan's dreamer's expression suddenly turned into a small scowl. He glimpsed up at the teacher who was only continuing to read about some random guy with a magic pig—that couldn't be the reason she suddenly looked annoyed. Then her glower softened up just a bit and she pursed her lips as if she was deciding something, and she finally just sighed.

As if she felt his questioning stare, Mikan turned her head. She tilted her head to the side and smiled, to which he only grunted softly and closed his eyes again like that was what he was doing all along. He could feel her eyes still on him and he felt tempted to shoot a comeback at her, but just held his tongue until the bell rang and she said his name.

-x-

_So are you just going to continue to send us in pairs, Rei? _

Mikan kept her stare out the window and tried to keep her expression neutral so it wasn't obvious to her classmates that she was talking to someone telepathically. She was lucky enough that Class 3A's teacher was just reading some insignificant alumni story so she had time to consult her trainer before the next mission.

_Yes_, he answered plainly.

_Well, what if they get hurt? What if something happens and they get captured? _

_That's what the partnering is for. _

She couldn't help it—she scowled. It was ridiculous that he would think just keeping her classmates in pairs would prevent the AAO from capturing them. _Some pairings just won't work. You should know that. _

_It's better than sending you out alone_, Persona returned coldly.

_At least group people together who they can actually work with then. Like make it so Yoshi goes with the twins—they'd help each other. _

_You're trying to protect them again. _

_Is there something wrong with that?_ she shot back. _We need to make sure all of us come back alright, even the recreational members of our team. Keep Hajime and Hayate together; Rui can work with anyone, but I think he'd be good with Hideki. And—_

_Why don't we just get them to choose their own partners?_ he asked sarcastically.

_No, that wouldn't work for everyone. _

He rolled his eyes. _Who would you go with?_

_…I think I should go alone. _

_No_, he answered automatically. _It's a mandatory rule—everyone is paired. No exceptions. I'll send you with Nobara if I have to, but you are not going by yourself._

_No way! Nobara-chan stays at the academy with you. But it's just that I think some of my classmates need to be in groups of three, and I can perfectly handle myself. _

_Don't even think about it. _

Mikan pursed her lips. _Fine, but we should still make the groupings a little bigger. Threes at the least. My group can be just of two though, and we need to send someone over to Sora, someone preferably nice._

_Of course. _

She sighed and her body relaxed slightly, but her muscles were still tight. _Meet me outside by the fountain after class before the meeting, and I'll help make groups, alright? We still have to prepare for hiding things once _she_ gets back. _

There was a nod then the connection cut off. Mikan's brain finally returned back into the classroom when she felt a pair of eyes on the back of her head. She turned to meet crimson irises, so she just gave him a bright smile, in which he only returned with an amiable grunt. She giggled softly as he closed his eyes and pretended to nap, but by the way he was squinting under her watch, it was obvious he wasn't.

Once the bell rang, she gathered her things and stood up before saying, "Hey, Natsume."

He glanced at her. "What, Polka?"

Her eyes narrowed at the nickname and she pushed her lips into a pout and stomped her foot. "You have to stop calling me that!"

"I'll call you what I want."

That answer was just so typically him that Mikan had to laugh. "I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out with me tomorrow. I'm busy today, but the next day I'm free, and we haven't seen each other outside of class for a while. What do you say?"

Natsume eyed her curiously, and she could tell he was weighing whether he should question her or just grunt an agreeable response. Choosing the latter, he just said, "I don't care."

She beamed. "Okay! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Skipping out of the class, she glanced around and noticed that everyone had already left. They didn't bother to ask Mikan if she was free anymore since she always said she had something else to do. It was true that she was busy but the excuses she used were far from the truth. Truths that her regular classmates would hopefully never know.

Truths that could one day be the end of her.

Once she was outside, Mikan debated teleporting her books into her room or just bringing them along to her meeting with Persona, then she decided it'd be best if she didn't. He wouldn't mind, but if any of her friends caught her using an Alice other than nullification, then she wouldn't know what to say. They may have known she also had the stealing Alice since it had been discovered just before the Alice War, but they probably had forgotten that she could use it, or thought that she was much too good to try.

Sadly, the Mikan Sakura they knew had been gone ever since the day she came back to the academy.

So she just walked the path towards the miniature fountain on the side of the middle school division—the one without windows—books filled with information she had long learned in her hand, and a small tune on the hum of her lips.

Persona was standing in a plum tree to the left of the path. Mikan was about to wave to him to come down, but his dark eyes just said, _Keep moving, I'll follow_. Judging by his coldness in his posture, she instinctively obliged and headed straight towards the fountain, silently asking what was wrong.

Then she felt the presence and she inwardly kicked herself for being so stupid.

-x-

He didn't know what he was doing.

Ever since the day she told him about her mother, Natsume told himself he wouldn't push for information or force her to reveal what she was hiding, that he would just wait for her to _tell_ him what was wrong. After all, what could she possibly be hiding? She was fretting over her mother, but for some reason she had never come to visit Yuka when he was there, and yet she always claimed to be preoccupied. For all he knew, Mikan could've just wanted some time alone. Doubtful, but still a possibility.

So why he found himself following discreetly after her when she left the classroom was a mystery, even to him.

It was on pure instinct. She left the classroom after claiming to be busy, and his persistent conscience told him something wasn't right, urging him to disobey his previous resolve just for a chance to find what the heck was going on. A chance that he found himself not being able to deny.

Her step was light and the tune she hummed was distracted, far more so than he had seen her in weeks. She paused only once to observe the books in her hands, before skipping along, back to the place she had originally headed. It was clear she had a destination in mind when she turned corners without hesitation and walked around like she had been down that same path before.

Natsume made extra careful to not make any sort of noise. He walked on his toes, stayed a good thirty feet behind her, and his DA training from so long before kicked in as if the years separating then from now wasn't so prolonged. He even clutched a small Alice stone that one of his classmates had given to him to conceal his latency, no matter how ridiculous the gesture was.

She never once looked back.

When Mikan turned the corner to the side of the middle school building, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe his instincts were wrong and she just wanted to take a walk. But then his crimson eyes fell on a figure standing in a tree, half concealed by thick branches if he hadn't been so used to the man in black's actions.

From the way Mikan had just passed by, it was evident to Natsume that she hadn't seen the man. But he knew that Persona's gaze had landed on her, not unintentionally either. Persona's black eyes met with Natsume's narrowed ones before the man disappeared the second he dared to blink.

His mind was reeling. Why was the DA class's advisor watching that clumsy, too-innocent, pig-tailed girl? What could he possibly want from her? He thought back and remembered her other Alice—the one which allowed her to steal, copy, erase and insert other Alices—and for him it seemed to click.

They wanted Mikan Sakura to join the mixed class.

He didn't know how he had gone from standing outside the academy to bursting through the front doors, but he was, and all middle school students knew to step out of his way unless they felt need to die. Natsume hadn't used his Alice in months—the last time being when a senior had the nerve to mention Mikan to his face when she was still gone—but that didn't mean he never did when the moment rendered it necessary.

Was it because of him? Had they been interested in Mikan because she was close to the infamous Black Cat? Of course, the academy could no longer force a student to join the DA class but he knew, regrettably, that all they had to do was sell out a sob story to the girl and she would be more than willing to pay the price.

That was why she was stupid.

That was also why he liked her.

Except now. Would her stupidity get her in danger? Or was it all on him? The reason the academy had first gotten interested in Mikan Sakura was because of her Alice and the fact that it matched that of a fallen, rebellious teacher's. The second reason was because she had somehow managed to penetrate through the Black Cat's thick walls, an accomplishment achieved by only Ruka before her.

It was his fault. That was the reason the academy was recruiting her, all because he was no longer able to fill the slot and the academy needed help. It was his fault and he knew it, one way or another, Natsume found himself to blame.

Suddenly he burst through the door of his special star room and paced, the only reason he retreated to his sanctuary was because he needed room to think, to breathe, to decide what to do to keep the academy's filthy hands off his school's sunshine. Natsume's brain was a string of untanglable curses, and his mind found only one solution.

_Goodbye, Mikan. I'm sorry. _

-x-

"Oh my gosh, Rei! I'm so sorry! I didn't know—didn't sense him! He—I'm so sorry!"

Mikan had abandoned the meeting at the fountain and met with Persona in the forest clearing instead, but she was still apologizing and stuttering and feeling horribly stupid for letting Natsume follow her. She hadn't bothered to change yet, but her books were in her room, and right now she couldn't sit still.

"I can't believe I didn't check!" She whacked her head against a random tree trunk.

Persona was by her side before she had a chance to repeat the motion. "It wasn't your fault; he was holding a barrier stone that kept him off radar."

"How did he get—" Mikan paused and remember her classmate, "Rotsuga. He's one of the boys in our class who isn't remotely scared of Natsume. Most of the time, at least."

"It wasn't your fault."

"But he saw you!" Mikan exclaimed with horror, bashing her head one more time before her trainer caught her shoulder. "He saw you watching me for that matter! Natsume's gonna freak."

"Most likely," he replied crossly.

"Not helping, Rei."

He glowered. "He won't be able to do anything. His assumptions couldn't be that awful."

"You'd be surprised," she muttered, giving up to hitting her head against the green maple and just leaning against the trunk. "What are we going to do?"

"About the Black Cat? Nothing." She was about to protest when he continued, "Until after today's mission. There's nothing we can do right now, and we still have to deal with making sure the DA members don't die tonight. Hyuuga's overreactions can wait."

Mikan sighed. "I guess you're right."

"Do you have groups in mind?" he asked. "How about your own partner?"

"Yup!" She enunciated the 'P' with a loud popping sound. "And for my own partner, I think I'll take Daisuke. Don't gimme that look, Rei, it's just that he's probably not going to tolerate anyone else, and my last mission with him went pretty well."

"'Cause starting a war classifies as _pretty well_," he scoffed.

"But I wasn't really hurt," she reminded him, "and he's a really great Alice. Being able to control metal will be great since Sato's Alice is invention, which means you can finally send us on a disabling mission."

"You could just copy his Alice," Persona suggested with a fruitless hope.

She shook her head. "I won't copy an Alice in our group unless they let me."

Rolling his eyes, he commanded, "Get into your mission attire and meet the class in room C for today's meeting. I just sent out the announcement."

"Wait, what time is _she_ arriving at tonight?" Mikan questioned. "So I can be back early. She probably already knows I'm here, and I'll be the first person she wants to see."

"She won't be back at the academy until ten tonight, so you have time," he supplied. "Chances are, her plane will be delayed because of the bad storm coming in soon. That's another reason to be more careful."

Mikan laughed. "Ten it is. Trust me; she's never late or early, just _always_ on the dot."

-xox-

Her plane was supposed to be postponed a few hours to wait out a small storm, but being the girl she was, she didn't just sit down and tolerate it. The flight attendants had made _gracious_ adjustments to the flight schedule just to accommodate her wishes—thanks to the little object she always kept with her.

When the engine sputtered a few times in mid-flight just because of the strong wind, the girl went into the control room and tinkered with a few things. The plane ran extremely smooth after that and the pilots had thanked her repeatedly—after paying the large amount she priced for fixing up their controls.

By the time she landed in Tokyo, news had spread about the thirteen-year old girl and all the workers had gone out of their way to make sure everything was perfect for her arrival. She kept a stoic mask on her face but she wasn't exactly impressed (though slightly amused) with the service—until they supplied her with a large amount of crab roe.

As soon as she stepped out of the limo they had assigned to transport the girl to the academy, she stopped at the gates and surveyed the golden bars with her blank purple eyes. It had been a few months since she had been here and she wasn't exactly pleased to be back—until she caught notice that her best friend was too.

The doorman switched open the gates and she stepped through at exactly ten o'clock, the clock tower in Central Town announcing the hour with a counted number of dongs. She flashed a brief and small smile as she walked up the cobblestone path.

When the final chime rang through the night, it was clear what was happening.

Hotaru Imai was back on campus.

* * *

**I'm really, really sorry about making this story so confusing! A lot of your reviews say that you're slightly frustrated with what's happening, and I'm so sorry! There are a lot of little parts in this story that are of big significance, and I didn't notice how jumbled I made it until you told me so. If there's any way I can clear it up, just tell me by review or PM and I'll promise to answer all the questions I can!**

**Thank you! :)**

**Oh, and reviews make writers happy ;D  
**

**-Starlight Curse  
**


	16. She knew pain

**Ack! I'm so so sorry for the late late update but this summer was just so busy busy! **

**I'm also sorry for saying things twice, but you have to admit that it has more of an impact. I hope ;)**

**So here's chapter sixteen****—finally!—and I hope you like it! I made it extra long just for you, and I'll edit any small mistakes as soon as a window opens up in my busy schedule :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the poems I show here, full credit goes to the poets who wrote them. **_Selfless _**was just beautiful and so fitting, as **_I Never Meant_** will be and **_Chasing Love_** is.  
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**Once again, this chapter is for all my readers (and my awesome reviewers, of course! Hm? Anyone taking bait? :P)! **

**Enjoy! :D  
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She knew pain

The girls' dormitory was already silent, so Mikan made sure to stay extra quiet as she teleported in. Persona had wanted to see her when she arrived back on campus, but she just told him that she needed to be ready for when Hotaru came. It was only partly true. Her alarm clock showed twenty to ten.

_Just great. _

She limped over to her bed and sat down beside it, careful not to get any blood on the sheets as she stuck out her right leg and pulled off her tattered stockings. A long, purplish blue gash ran down the side, the sight so crude it sickened even her—and she'd been doing more missions to count.

The AAO had known she was coming. There was no other explanation on why they would send Hiroto out to target her.

As soon as she saw the blue-boy back at the base she had teleported Daisuke out and only stuck around long enough to breach one of the security monsters they had set up for this mission. Hiroto hadn't really been able to strain most of her injuries, only catching her leg enough to make it feel broken before she disappeared.

Brushing her finger across the wound lightly, Mikan winced. A small light bubbled around her, but when it disappeared, a lengthy blue scar was still in place, reaching from her ankle bone to just below her knee. She frowned. That was going to be hard to cover.

She knew from her mission with Yoshiro that the AAO was training their Alices harder than they had before, but she hadn't really seen much progress amongst their scarce number of actual beings. Now looking at the coloured scar she could tell that Hiroto was so much stronger—her cuts from last time hadn't remained the tainted blue.

Then her thoughts on the AAO's incredible progress was cut off by a burning sensation running through her chest. Mikan tumbled forward, her hands shooting out barely fast enough to catch herself as her throat constricted sounds that sounded half like choking and half like coughing. Instinctively she—like every other time the fire started to spread—forced her mind to concentrate on healing it, easing the pain slowly away.

But instead of the bubbly white lights of the healing Alice, her chest burned even more and it took all she had not to cry out.

_Alice overuse_, Mikan automatically thought as her powers failed and the burn continued. She was now curled up on the floor, heaving and her hands frantically clawing at the source of the fire that had started to consume her mind. Tears spilled relentlessly down her cheeks.

Having been on tons of missions before, having more scars she had ever bothered to count, Mikan knew pain. She knew what it felt to be pierced by a bullet, cut by a blade, hit repeatedly by human hands; she felt ice, strain, and many other Alices used on her—Mikan and pain were always close to each other. She had learned to live with it.

Yet somehow this fire seemed to numb her mind to the point where she couldn't remember her own name. All she wanted was for it to stop.

Thoughts started forming erratically in her mind and she envisioned beautiful crimson eyes, remembering why she bothered to put up with this. They were joined with violet and blue, green and brown—soon every single person she knew appeared behind her eyelids and Mikan almost smiled through the pain as she regained control over her body and she spread her limbs out so she was just laying still on the ground.

Slowly, the pain numbed and though she couldn't exactly count how long it took, she was more than glad. She frowned at the red stains on her floor before icing it over and drying the blood away until all that was left was the deep burgundy colour of the landing. Mikan shifted back into a kneeling position and put a hand to her chest where the flame had retreated to a light roughness.

The fire—it was like the dark side of Natsume. He would never hurt her, she knew, so it was appalling how much the boy she cared about was like the pain she went through. Kimi had endlessly probed her about it, but Mikan only shook her head at the comments.

Mikan gave a sharp breath as she noticed the time on the clock. It was five to ten. Hotaru was going to arrive any minute.

Immediately, she teleported off her bloodied mission attire and jumped into the shower for a quick rinse. When she got rid of the blood along with its detestable smell, replacing it with the strawberry scent everyone had come to love, she used Sora's wind Alice to give her hair a quick blow-dry and pulled on long pajamas (even though it was summer) to cover her scars.

By the time she was done, it was 10:03.

Using telepathy, she knew that the gates had opened exactly three minutes before, and though she missed out on the clock tower's hour count, Mikan was sure Hotaru was heading up to the girl's dormitory. The principal probably wanted to see her as soon as she stepped on campus, but knowing Hotaru, her first stop would be to see the girl who had been gone for two years.

Mikan checked her appearance once more in the mirror to make sure she was as normal as she could be, before she hopped into her bed and pretended to be sleeping.

The door flew open. Mikan jumped up in feigned surprise before running to the door with one of those cheery smiles she was known for long before she started doing missions.

"Hotaru!"

-xox-

Their class had remained the same for all those years; some people went, some people came, but it was one of the things in the academy that had always stayed the same. Now they were in Class A, but otherwise, not much had changed.

It was that exact familiarity that warned everyone that to stay out of Natsume's way.

Even Ruka was slightly wary as he glanced over at his best friend, who sat in his usual bored posture but with a dark scowl spread across his face. There were so many times Natsume was a dodge target for everyone thanks to his unyielding and easily provoked temper, so they should've been used to it. But something about his aura today was just so intimidating that students in all the seats around him made a point to stay away until necessary.

His crimson eyes narrowed even more as soon as Mikan walked in through the door, a sight that caused everyone to be alarmed. Natsume was always still arrogant when she was around, but even if she didn't notice it, he was softer and less _scary_ in her presence; more approachable and it made him more seem more human (a disadvantage being that it had the opposite effect when she was away).

And though he was a little reproachful the past few weeks when she came back slightly different, and sometimes he did act foul around her, he still softened noticeably whenever Mikan was near—so now that his expression hardened completely, the class was left wondering what the heck was going on.

Knowing that it couldn't possibly mean any good.

But then they noticed Hotaru at her side and Ruka immediately stood up to greet her, followed by the rest of the gang.

"Welcome back, Hotaru-chan!" Anna greeted cheerfully, but they all could feel the pink-haired girl's concealed disappointment when her un-twin didn't echo her thoughts. "We missed you," she added in, almost sullenly. Hotaru glanced around but didn't comment.

"Hey, Hotaru," Ruka said with a smile, the class automatically 'oohing' at his notable change from calling her by her last name to first. He blushed.

Hotaru only nodded, her face stoic as ever. "Nogi."

"When'd ya get back, Hotaru?" Koko asked.

"Like you don't know." Kitsuneme rolled his eyes.

"I don't," he contradicted, "Narumi-sensei gave a controlling device." Koko held up his hand to reveal a thickly designed ring on his finger. "He said I'd have to anyways since we're having exam week soon."

"Ugh," Mochu groaned, "don't remind me. I barely passed last time—I'm gonna have to study extra hard if I don't want to fail this year. Grade eight sucks."

"It's okay! We'll all study together," Mikan piped up in her awfully cheerful voice. The way she was rubbing the back of her head showed that she had probably been hit with Hotaru's Baka Gun before she arrived at the classroom… repeatedly. "It can't be so bad. I'll help you."

He snorted. "Sorry to be the one to inform you, but you weren't even here for the better part of the school year. If anything, _I'd_ have to tutor _you_."

They all laughed at Mikan's frown before she beamed again and said, "Oh well! Hotaru can help me, right Hotaru?"

"For a price," Hotaru stated simply, walking back to her desk—in the exact same spot from before she left—as everyone cleared the way for her.

"Well, at least we know Imai hasn't changed at all in her absence," Sumire snorted.

"No kidding," Koko snickered.

Hotaru took her seat and glanced up at him. "You should know I just upgraded my newest Baka Gun, Yome."

He put his hands up. "Hey, hey! I was just agreeing with Permy!"

"Now that you mention it, that _is_ pretty suspicious," Anna giggled. "Who would've thought Koko would actually agree with Sumire-chan?"

"You're not helping, Anna," Koko shot back.

She grinned. "Sorry!"

Mikan laughed with more brightness than she had in the past few weeks as she pushed herself up so she was sitting on top of Hotaru's desk. The purple-eyed girl automatically thrust out her Baka Gun and everyone winced as Mikan went tumbling onto the ground.

"Ow! Hotaru! Why'd you do that?"

"Get off my desk," was the only answer she got.

"I'm not on your desk anymore," Mikan pouted, dusting off the back of her skirt. "You don't have to be so mean."

But Hotaru just glanced down to Mikan's black thigh-high socks and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Idiot, why are you wearing your winter socks?"

"I was cold," she said, almost defensively.

"It's over thirty degrees (Celsius) today."

"Well, I just, um—"

"Maybe she's cold, Imai," Sumire cut in, "So what? You don't have to make such a big deal out of it."

Mikan silently thanked the girl but she could still feel Hotaru's eyes boring into her so she changed the subject. "Is Kashi-sensei gonna be here soon?"

On cue, the teacher walked in through the door with a stack of books in his hand. He gave a slight nod to Hotaru in acknowledgement before turning to the class and announcing a poetry reading day.

The class let out a collective groan, but he just smiled and handed out a booklet to everyone. Then he called out random people and asked them to recite a different poem each, writing down little marks in his checkbook as they went.

When it was Mikan's turn, and he told her to read a poem called **_Selfless_**, she skimmed it before sending her teacher a look. He only gave her a small smile in return. She frowned at the paper before her melodic voice rang through the air.

"Selfless," she started reading, "by Justin Adams."

**Selfless**

By Justin Adams

_This is about a legacy.  
A legacy by a man no one knows.  
A legacy left cold.  
A legacy left in the dark.  
A legacy... left behind._

_No one asks, no one thinks.  
No one hears, and no one cares._

_An honest man brought down by power.  
Power of corruption, power of determination._

_People separated by the past,  
People fighting, dying for nothing,  
Some hiding, wondering what's next._

_Things everyone thinks.  
Things no one says._

_Brought down for being different,  
Brought down for being right.  
Wrong for the right reasons,  
Right for the wrong reasons._

_Truthfully what's right,  
Someone that tells you,  
Or what your heart says._

_Some things can't be determined.  
Others shouldn't be._

_Fears never faced.  
Fears just growing,  
Fears eating away at you,  
Away at me, away at existence._

_Existence that people forgot,  
Values left, and lost.  
No remorse. No dignity,  
NO HONOR!_

_A life that's not worth living.  
A life that's not worth dying._

_Buried deep in us resides a place of unity.  
A place with brothers and sisters,  
A place of internal rest,  
Rest from crime and violence.  
Dishonest people changing their ways,  
Not for themselves but for no one._

_Existence is always there.  
Footprints in the heart,  
Footprints in the soul._

_A name left behind with a memory,  
Forgotten in time by all with the  
Lost Arch Of Life_

_Behind a shielded mirror  
Behind an indestructible horror._

_Be one within but be one at all.  
Share your dreams, Share your fears._

_Page by page is turning ash to ash,  
Focusing on yourself.  
Help your family, while helping mankind,  
And you'll find that life will get lighter._

_Dreams, Fate, and Wishes.  
Are these things some believe?  
And others demise._

_Who are you to judge me?  
Who are you to judge anyone?  
Such things can't be determined by one,  
But by all in faith and happiness._

_A moment of silence for all,  
For all who died.  
People we don't know,  
People that would die for us,  
For what they believe in._

_A moment of silence for more,  
All the silence of eternity wouldn't,  
Wouldn't be enough for those..._

_Selfless People  
Of Selfless Acts_

Mikan paused once before taking a deep breath and reading the last line: "Selfless People, Of Selfless Acts."

Then she closed her book and sat down, the room so silent that a pen dropped could be heard. She refused to make eyes contact with anyone while they all stared at the brunette for such a heartfelt reading. Her voice had held such connection to the words—it was almost heartbreakingly beautiful.

Kashi smiled from the front of the room before writing a small mark down on his paper and clapping for the class's attention. They all turned away from her, slowly, reluctantly, except one crimson-eyed boy who studied the girl with troubled eyes. Then he looked away quickly.

No one could see his clenched fists.

"Thank you, Sakura-san. Next," the teacher said, scanning the paper, "Natsume Hyuuga, read **_I Never Meant_** on page seventy-two, by Mary—"

"No."

The man at the front of the room lifted his gaze from the paper and stared at the boy who had spoken. "Excuse me, Hyuuga-san? Do you have a problem?"

"Yes," Natsume stated. "I am not reading that bullshit."

And just like that, everyone burst out into laughter and the mood in the room was restored.

"Same old Natsume," Kitsuneme laughed. "He hasn't even read the poem and he's calling it crap."

"Very well, Hyuuga-san," Kashi said, making a mark on his checkbook with a small smile on his face. "So, Kokoro Yome, read **_Chasing Love _**on page thirty-six by Ginger Voight—"

"No."

Kashi looked up in amusement at the boy. "Do _you_ have a problem, Yome-san?"

"Yeah," Koko said slowly, but his voice wasn't intimidating nor confident. It lacked Natsume's force significantly, and the class only rolled their eyes at his attempt. "I don't want to read that… stuff," he finished lamely.

The teacher just stared.

Koko sighed and pushed back his chair, standing up. "Fine, I'll read the dumb poem."

Ah, yes. Everything was just as it should be.

Or as normal as it could get.

-x-

Class droned on and poems were read—in the thirty-or-so teens in the classroom, no one after Koko tried to get out of reciting tacky lines that rhymed with the most common words. Even Hotaru was given a poem to read, although her voice held no emotion as she talked about leading a love chase that she didn't know how to end (Ruka blushed enough for the both of them).

For most it seemed as if their chosen piece of poetry was picked specially for each and every one of their cases—a lot in love—and some had come to wonder how much their teacher really knew about them. Mikan especially.

Others thought their choices to be quite ridiculous, like Sumire who had puzzled on about why she was chosen to read about why age was irrelevant.

It was weird, but Kashi only gave knowing smiles and told them that it was completely random.

Mikan often stole glances at Natsume who was refusing to spare her even a glance, something that hadn't happened before ever since she came back. She worried that it was seeing Persona that made him open old wounds, old memories, and she hated for that to be the case.

_I'll talk to him after class_, she thought to herself, _I'll try to find out what he knows. I'll convince him that everything's okay. _

But Mikan had been trained more than once over the past two years how to detect lies, and she had become incredibly good—even when the lies she was telling were to herself.

-xox-

_Riiiiiing_.

When the last bell finally went off, Mikan's worry rate had gotten ten times higher. She had tried multiple times to talk to Natsume, but he didn't say anything to her, just gave a cold gaze—a gaze colder than she had ever seen him wear.

A gaze so cold that it made her shiver.

Part of her wondered if she should maybe give up trying to talk to him before tonight's disabling mission with Daisuke, but she knew better than anyone that leaving a problem unsolved for too long was never any good.

"Natsume!" Mikan called out as the boy walked out of the class. She had gathered her books in a Hello Kitty book bag she kept slung over her shoulder, leaving her best friend behind with only "I'm going to talk to Natsume."

As she stepped out of the room, she heard Hotaru say monotonously, "Nogi, the reports," and Ruka's, "'Kay, Hotaru," before a sound she knew all too well banged loudly.

"Hotaru, cut your boyfriend a little slack!" a voice chided.

"Can it, Yome."

_BAKA_.

It might've made her smile if she wasn't so worried about her own almost-boyfriend.

"Natsume!" Mikan called, relief flooding her once she saw the shadowed figure walking the cobblestone path. But it was followed quickly by confusion as he stiffened at the sound of her voice and walked on, pretending not to know her. A moment of standing there, shocked, passed quickly before Mikan hurried down the path.

"Natsume!" Her voice rang out again with a barely noticeable hesitance as she finally came to his side. "Natsume, wait, I—" she started, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

But as soon as her hand brushed his arm, he spun around fiercely, his red eyes a bitter frost as he snarled, "Don't _touch _me."

-x-

He used to be a part of the DA class. He went on missions, killed people he was ordered to, hurt people to get to what he was needed to, and had to be _ruthless_ whenever he was out on the field, resulting in many injuries to others and regret to himself.

It was required. It had to be done.

But nothing had ever made Natsume Hyuuga want to take back his actions than the look of hurt on Mikan's face.

Her expression was so heartbreaking that he had to look away from her to keep his emotions in check before he blew the façade it took all of his energy to keep up all day. Squeezing his nails into his palms to keep from turning back to her, he said with a voice he hoped was just as cold (and at the same time didn't), "Leave me alone."

He could feel her stir behind him in unease before she said, "Natsume… can I talk to you?"

_Don't sound so sweet to me_! he wanted to yell at her. _Don't talk to me like I'm not a monster, like I'm worth having you care about me._

But he didn't. "No."

Even though he was still walking, he could feel her keeping pace behind him. "But it's really important. Please?" she asked softly, in her tone which she never meant to be convincing, but had always gotten him to agree to what she wanted.

Not this time. "No."

He felt her stop walking behind him, and it took all of his strength to not obey his instincts to stop as well. Maybe he might've been able to get away from her—and be able to collapse on his bed where he didn't have to pretend staying away from her didn't kill him—if she didn't ask, "Are you mad at me?"

It was on pure instinct, he told himself, that he spun around to stare at her as he blurted "No!" Then again, it might have also had to do with the way she was unconsciously biting her lip, and how her big eyes looked ready to spill with fresh tears.

Nothing about Mikan's face showed that she believed him, and her words complemented her body language. "You look like you're mad at me."

"I…" He trailed off, remembering why he had to do this.

_Persona's following her and it's my fault. The academy has taken interest in this idiot because of my influence in her life, and the only reason they can't have me is because I'm banned from using my Alice. It's my fault_, he told himself. _Mine_.

His nails dug in sharper and managed to grit out, "I am."

Quickly, quicker than he thought he could ever move (and that was pretty damn fast), Natsume spun around so he only caught a glimpse of Mikan's face as it fell.

He cleared his throat and repeated, "I am."

_Leave, Mikan. Please, just go,_ he inwardly pleaded. _I don't want to hurt you anymore_.

But she was Mikan Sakura, and whether she knew it or not, whether it was for better or for worse, Mikan Sakura was stubborn. Very, very stubborn. "Natsume…"

Natsume didn't know how Mikan got so close to him without him noticing, but it wasn't until her hand came lightly on his arm that he reacted, jerking away from her, from the warmness and comforting touch of familiarity. She flinched. He pretended not to notice.

Dropping her hand to her side, Mikan asked quietly, "Why? Did I do something wrong?"

_No_, he thought, _it's my fault_. The days they spent together in their cherry blossom tree—no, the days they spent together, _period_—flashed through his mind, and he knew that those were the only days he ever considered to be close to perfect. But he didn't say that out loud. Couldn't. Instead, he said, "Yes."

It was required. It had to be done.

He told himself.

"What did—"

"Just shut up," he snapped, unable to stand there pretending to hate her any longer, even if making a quick exit meant acting harsh. "Just shut up for once, won't you? You're annoying and stupid and always talk when all I need is silence. Right now, all I want is to be alone but of course I could count on you to ruin that for me."

She froze behind him. He knew his words stung, but he didn't stop there.

"I just wish you would leave me alone," he spat, still refusing to meet her eyes. "If you were lonely while your best friend was away, now she's back. If you wanted someone to give you sympathy for your mother, then turn to Youichi—for all I care, she probably won't wake up. Stop bothering me all the time—you're nothing but a nuisance. Leave me alone, Mikan."

She took a collective breath as she heard him use her first name for the first time since she got back (in full consciousness), but not at all in a good way.

Little, red, crescent moons were forming on his palms, but he didn't care about the condition of his hand as he finished, "I _hate_ you."

A small silence filled the air and Natsume could barely make out the choked words she uttered out before running past him towards the girls' dormitory, trails of liquid crystal on her cheeks glittering under the afternoon sun. Her shoes let out a pattered rhythm as she ran, one completely unfamiliar to him.

He didn't know how long he stood there after she left before he finally collapsed on the ground, leaning against the stone wall for support. Slowly, he released his fingers and stared at his marked hands, but it wasn't the pricks of blood starting to come through pierced skin that he was staring at. It wasn't the lines across his palm.

No, he looked at himself in a horror, feeling no better than the murderer people had so often called him before.

Especially when his last words had differed so much from hers:

"I'm sorry."

-x-

She arrived twenty minutes late for their mission, but Persona didn't scold her. He didn't say anything, actually, and Mikan knew that he had seen what happened. He only gave her a look that could almost be pegged as sympathetic, and she offered his a small smile in return.

No one bought it.

Even Daisuke didn't prod her for delaying their mission, just gave her a nod. He didn't get mad at her for taking on an AAO Alice by herself the night before like he had wanted to, and didn't look the least bit impatient as he waited for her to say she was ready. Mikan wasn't sure whether or not he knew but she still took his thoughtfulness gratefully.

"We can go now," she said in a morose tone.

Persona's voice was in her mind. _Are you okay?_

"I'm fine," she answered aloud, too tired to bother with telepathy. He shot her a look, but it's intensity quickly subsided.

"You'll leave in ten," he commanded. "Let me go get the files." And then Persona left the room, giving the girl time she so obviously needed.

Mikan sighed and closed her eyes, dropping in a chair against the wall with a light thud. Her hands were enclosed fists and her eyes were still dreary from crying. She shouldn't have been, she knew, but something about Natsume had always made her react in ways she wasn't used to.

Funny, she should've been expecting something like that. Something like Natsume taking the blame himself for Persona's interest in her, and trying to push her away to keep her safe. It was what he had been doing before she somehow managed to break through his tightly built walls back in elementary school.

But the words still stung. Her heart still broke. And Mikan couldn't help but feel hurt at his words—whether he really meant it or not.

_I could kill him,_ a voice suggested in her head._ I could kill him and make him feel ten times the hurt he's putting on you. _

She should've laughed, but instead she answered telepathically, _Leave him alone, Kimi._

_"Leave me alone, Mikan." _

Remembering his words, her eyes snapped open and more unnecessary tears threatened to spill, but she held them back as her golden friend—who Mikan still wasn't sure how she found out—replied, _Do I at least get to kick his ass? As your friend, I'm entitled to a pass to beat up the guy who broke your heart. _

_Double me on that_, Kouta chimed in.

_It's okay, guys,_ Mikan assured weakly, _I think… I think it might be better this way anyways. _Before the twins could protest and suggest more punishments, she said, _Good luck on your mission. Bye! _And she cut the connection clean.

But maybe her words were right. Maybe it was better if Natsume believed that leaving her behind meant keeping her safe. Maybe it was better that he decided to cut off the one tie that connected him back to the DA class. Maybe it was even better if he didn't care for her at all.

Of course, that wouldn't change _her_ feelings, but it was better. It was definitely better.

She hoped.

She didn't.

She squeezed her eyes shut one more time.

"Daisuke," Mikan said finally, knowing full well that her ten minutes was up and that Persona was already standing outside the door, waiting for her signal that she was okay. "I know it's a little late already, but I'm gonna visit my homeroom teacher." _Kashi-sensei_. "And my outside confidant." _You-chan_. "I'll be back soon, okay?" _I need help._

She barely waited for a nod from her partner before she teleported out. Daisuke didn't even say anything about her using her Alice before a big mission.

Persona stalked back into the room after she left, silent and eyes cold behind his mask, looking every bit like the old DA advisor as he growled, "If I kill Hyuuga myself, do you think she would mind?"

The other boy said nothing.

When Mikan landed in Class 3A, her teacher sat knowingly behind his desk, commenting lightly on her waste of energy. She asked him for the book he knew she'd come back for, and with only a few words exchanged, she left to a five-year-old boy's bedroom.

Mikan knew pain. She knew what it felt to be pierced by a bullet, cut by a blade, hit repeatedly by human hands; she felt ice, strain, and many other Alices used on her. She experienced fire from both Alices and a result to overusing her own.

But nothing hurt her more than the three words Natsume had said to her.

And on the other side of the campus, the crimson-eyed boy had the exact same thought.

* * *

**Spare me a review? :)**

**-Starlight Curse  
**


	17. What is she hiding?

**Umm, are you mad at me? **

**I'm so sorry! I know I probably don't even deserve having you read this right now because I am about the most horrible updater ever, but it's just been a really busy time for me! **

**I hope you don't hold a grudge. **

**Anyways, this chapter made me slightly squeamish to write... I hope that's not saying too much. By now you should be familiar with the whole mission thing. **

**Just pay attention to clues! That's my biggest hint for you :) **

**Once again, this chapter is completely for all my dedicated readers! From looking over the reviews (which never fail to make me smile!), I know most of the pennames of the usual people who take the time to leave me a message! :D**

**I made this extra long, just for you!  
**

**Thanks so much! Christmas was my deadline for this chap - I cut it a little close, but I hope you like it anyway! :)  
**

* * *

What is she hiding?

"_They need to understand what you do for them, Sakura-san, and they need to understand why." _

"_They will, Kashi-sensei. Maybe not now, _hopefully_ not now, but they will." _

"_Really? And who will be there to tell them that?"_

Mikan remembered her homeroom teacher's words as she and Daisuke stood on top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, looking over the city with a birds-eye view. Night was approaching quickly as well as the time for them to commence their attack on one of the AAO bases (which was conveniently located just a few miles outside the city border), but her mind kept wandering back to the conversation she had had just a few hours before.

She had asked her teacher about the poems. He had answered vaguely, but gave her enough hints to know the reason. Then he asked that question: "_And who will be there to tell them that?"_

At the time, she didn't know the answer. But she did know what she hoped it would be.

Somewhere in the night, a clock rang eight. Lights started, one by one, colour by colour, going on, filling the quickly darkening sky with brilliant jewels.

Somewhere on the corner of their view, a truck was moving long past the city lights, driving on a single road to an 'abandoned' building to deliver some not-so-legal machine parts.

Somewhere outside the warmth of the city, a base was finally found.

And somewhere, in an academy where admission was picky and students were special, people she cared about were waiting for her to come home.

"We have to go," the dark-haired boy beside her said.

"I know."

-xox-

"By God, Caro! What the hell were you thinking?"

The ESP's office was a room Persona was familiar with. One he had memorized off by heart, including all the secret rooms connected to it. One he had been in more times than he would've liked. One that, whenever he entered, usually hailed an argument of different opinions—and today was no different.

He growled at the woman again, his black eyes piercing. "You _knew_? You knew that an Alice would be waiting for them, and yet you let me send them out anyway?"

"It was a necessity," she said simply. "The mission needed to be done, and I knew that there wouldn't be anyone else more fitting than the Flower."

"But you should've told me!" He slammed his hands down on her desk, sending stacks of neatly piled papers tumbling over. Camilla shot him a disapproving look, but he only glared back. "You should have let the Flower and Dragon know that there were going to be AAO Alices on their mission."

"They came back fine."

_No_, he thought, knowing how even though Mikan tried to hide her injured leg, he still noticed. "It was risky, letting them out there not knowing what they were up against," he snarled instead. "If you know something about any mission at all, something I do not, then you tell me. Am I clear?"

"If you knew, you wouldn't have let the Flower go, Persona," Camilla averred, not answering his question. "I'm right, and you can't deny it."

"I _can_. Though I wouldn't like it, I'm not as selfish as you. Just because I don't want her hurt, doesn't mean I can stop her."

Camilla smiled without humor. "That's all on her. Mikan's the one who is selfless, not you. You'd stop her if you _could_. She'd go with your consent or without it if she knew the terms."

That, Persona knew, was true. "This is my class," he reminded her again. "My rules, my calls. And if by some fluke you know something that I don't then you are obligated to tell me."

"Oh, really now," she drawled. "Last time I checked, my position is much higher than yours. Actually, yours _doesn't even exist_." Camilla laughed, and it was clear she was enjoying this all too much. "I don't have to take any orders from you. If I happen to find out something, it's my decision whether I tell you or not."

Persona went rigged as he stared at the woman. She smiled an easy victory and leaned back into her seat, clearly pleased with herself. But her words… "You know something." His tone wasn't accusing, but threatening. "What aren't you telling me?"

"You think I'm hiding something?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"Don't screw with me, Caro," he snapped with a harshness that made her lift a brow. "What the hell are you hiding?"

"You know," she said slowly, "I'd never betray the academy's side. And _you_ know the reason for that." She leaned forward to prop her elbows on the desk. "But that doesn't mean I can't do things my way—that doesn't mean I can't change the rule as I please."

"You insolent—"

Camilla raised a finger to shush him. "You can't speak to me like that, Persona. You know full well you can't." She paused, testing him, and smiled when he stayed silent. "Good boy. Now, are you going to act harshly if I have something to say about the lists of missions today?"

Persona hadn't said anything. He hadn't given her the satisfaction of toying with him, and he sure as hell hadn't agreed to something he couldn't even identify yet. But when a few coy words came out of the woman's mouth, his reaction was one she had probably expected.

It was easy to put together, after all. The fact that every single DA member but her son was out on a mission should've been something he thought about early on, but she had only insisted that she needed Yoshiro's help with a few things around the office.

Now with her words voicing out his fears, maybe it was a good thing Yoshiro stayed out. For backup.

Not to _protect_ him, like Camilla had intended.

_But, goddammit_, Persona gritted as he rushed out of the room, _I hope she's wrong._

-xox-

Mikan knew something was off as soon as she stepped onto the site.

The air was thick and smelled tainted with smoke, the soil an ink black. As the two teens moved swiftly across the blackened grounds, following the huge truck on the small path through the half-dead forest, Mikan couldn't help but wonder how anybody could possible stay here.

_Shina's puppets_, she automatically concluded. The woman wasn't heartless enough to send an actual person to this particular base out of all the others around the world just to target her, right?

_Right_?

The clearing was wide and long, stretching a distance that was troubling to her. A huge building stood directly in the center, its walls so covered in grease and oil and emitting a heat that boiled the oxygen in the air, Mikan wasn't surprised that there was at least a ninety foot gap from the edge of the clearing to the walls of the building.

Glints of silver sparkled in her peripheral vision, and Mikan winced at how many machines were set up. Most she didn't even recognize. Daisuke seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he cursed under his breath, but followed her as they trudged through thick mud.

By the time they reached the tar, Mikan's shoes were covered in black paste. She frowned at the splecks of dirt covering her white outfit, before reaching down with gloved hands to grab a pile of black mud. Then she rubbed it on her shirt.

The boy beside her leaned back in distaste, eying the muck with incredulous eyes. Mikan gave him an amused glance and mouthed _camouflage_, and he realized she was right. Being a white blob on a dark night wasn't going to help them be inconspicuous at all.

Still, he was partly glad his outfit was already dark.

Smearing another glob of mud across her mask, she took one look around at all the machines stationed in precise locations before her hand shot out to the corner of lot. Daisuke followed her finger to where a small machine stood.

With only a small click heard, the steel Alice disabled the device.

_Good job_, Mikan commented telepathically, relieved that she could finally use her Alice without sparks flying around her. _I don't think anyone inside heard. _

He didn't acknowledge the compliment. _How many?_

She walked around the corner again to a windowless wall for cover, pausing to apprehend the movement inside. _I can't really say. I think they put up another shield, because I can't sense any more than a hundred, and that couldn't be right._

Daisuke looked at the huge building beside them in correspondence. _Something's wrong._

_Yeah_, she agreed, proceeding to move along the wall cautiously. _Everything seems too prepared. Like they're expecting us. _

Her partner gave a slight nod. A light flashed on inside the building and they both froze, waiting out the footsteps that tapped on the other side of the wall. Soon whoever was walking inside started talking to another and the two teens outside knew they wouldn't be going anywhere soon.

Stealing a glance at her Alice watch, Mikan nodded a confirmation and that was all it took before both took off into the forest. She took one swift jump, flipping over so she was sitting on a branch high enough to view the entire base, yet hidden enough to not be spotted. No more than a second later, Daisuke claimed the seat beside her.

_We have half an hour before they start moving_, Mikan told him what they both already knew.

He shifted so he was leaning against the trunk of the tree. _Then you better get comfortable._

-xox-

_Click_.

The girl walked down the hallway with a purposeful stride. Everyone made a point to stay out of the purple-eyed girl's way as she went, holding her Baka Gun in one hand and a look of death on the other. No one knew why she looked so ready to kill, and frankly, no one waited long enough to find out.

Outside, the sky was getting darker and the moon was rising higher, so she knew her target would be getting ready for bed in his room. She didn't care if she interrupted a nap—actually, she preferred it.

Because, not too long before, she saw her best friend running past her with tears in her eyes, and it was clear that there was only one person who could make her upset enough not to notice anyone else as she ran.

_Hyuuga, you're going down. _

Mikan hadn't even spared a glance at her, and that was what made Hotaru bristle. She ran so quick that it was obvious she only wanted to be alone, and at the time, Anna and Ruka only exchanged worried looks before the pink-haired girl went after her.

Only to come back five minutes later saying that Mikan wouldn't talk.

"Hey, Hotaru—"

_BAKA!_

Hotaru didn't know who she shot and she honestly didn't care. Everyone should've known better than to try to talk to her right now.

_Click_. She reloaded her contraption as she reached the special star section of the girls' dormitory (since there were only few students with this ranking, the academy only reserved a part of the hall on the _girls'_ side—the bastard Hyuuga being apparently special enough to be trusted).

_BAKA!_ The door was down; one less obstacle in her way.

Her eyes narrowed at the figure slumped down against the far wall who hadn't even bothered to look up as she came in.

_Click. BAKA! _

As she stormed out of Natsume's room, she tried not to think about how torn he looked, how he didn't react the slightest the way everyone else would've. She tried not to register the ghostly look on his face, and the cuts on his palm that he was staring at from the time she came in to the time she left.

Hotaru pushed any traces of sympathy for Natsume away.

After all, it had to be done.

-xox-

"Are you sure, Persona?" Yoshiro's voice was sharp as he cursed again, the clearing around him acting as a punching bag to some of his most threatening Alices. "Of course you're sure; you wouldn't have told me if you weren't." Another tree burned to the ground as he hissed like the snake his alias proclaimed him to be. "I can't _believe_ her nerve."

"Don't waste your energy, Snake!" barked Persona, more harshly than he had intended. "If you want to have a chance to save them, we need to save up all the power we can get."

"Then tell me where she is already!" His next bolt of lightning was directed at his teacher, but thanks to Mikan's nullification Alice stone, it deluded before making contact. Yoshi shot another crackling aim that didn't hit its mark. "She could be in trouble right now, and you won't tell me where she is!"

"If I did, there's no doubt you'd go unprepared."

"Would you rather she be _dead_ because you want to take your sweet time to prepare?" Yoshiro bit back with equal harshness, but he held back his fire. "Kimi is in trouble—they are all in trouble! Why are you just standing there?"

Letting out a sharp breath, Persona held up his right hand where a thick metal band was clipped tightly on his wrist. "I can't leave the academy base. Your _mother_ made it so."

"Mom did what? Why would she—"

"'Cause she knows that the first thing I would've done would be the same thing you want to right now," he said through clenched teeth. "And for the first time in my useless excuse for an existence, I agree with her. It would've been stupid. I'm actually surprised she didn't restrain _you_ with an Alice bind as well."

"She tried, I think," Yoshiro remembered. "Earlier this morning. I wasn't sure what her problem was, but I didn't let that thing come near me."

"Well, I'm going to send you out to save the twins and their partner—and yes, you have to at least try to save their partner as well," Persona ordered when Yoshi snorted. "—because I know that no matter where I want you to go, you'd go find the Bird first anyways."

"She's weak without me." Even though the words themselves would be a tease, they were flat coming out of the boy's mouth.

"I've already sent notice to the Angel—he's going to rush back as soon as he can to Mikan's location so he can warn them of the news. And I expect that you go straight there as well after ensuring your girlfriend's safety."

For once, Yoshi didn't deny the connection to Kimi. "Of course. Truth be told, I owe Mikan big time for saving my ass on multiple occasions. It's about time I return the favor."

Persona nodded once. "Good. I've tried to get through to the other DA embers to warn them about what Caro had hidden from us about the AAO's plan's—" Yoshi's eyes narrowed, but he stayed silent. "—but there were barriers set up so I couldn't reach most of them." There was a curse. "I've contacted Rui and the others to go retrieve as many other students as they can without getting caught themselves."

"Okay, so what about Nobara?" Yoshi suggested. "She could probably go out and rescue a few more—"

"No!" Persona snapped immediately. He glared back with and undeniable anger, and though he didn't show it, Yoshi regretted mentioning the teacher's pet. "Half the class hasn't even seen her before** (A/N: this is very important!)**; they don't even know what her Alice is, and that's the way we've been trying to keep it. She's weak now. We have to keep her away from all this, not drag her into it."

Yoshiro punched another tree for good measure, a string of profanities on his lips. "I can't believe we didn't find out sooner. I can't believe Mom knew and didn't tell me. What was she hoping—that this would bring us closer?" He hissed out a breath. "I'm leaving now. Every second wasted counts."

And he disappeared without waiting for further consent.

Persona clenched his fists and was bolting out of the clearing the second the Snake teleported out.

_I knew those lessons were going to come back and bite me in the ass. _

-xox-

Youichi looked out his window with wide and innocent eyes. Clouds were gathered in the sky, thick puffs of gray covering every inch of blue that should've been apparent. There hadn't been a single rainy day in months—since Mikan had come back, actually—and he liked it that way. It gave him a little bit of hope to continue each day thinking that one day, everything would work out.

Now it was dark. Everything was dark.

He wasn't strong enough to turn the lights back on.

She was on a mission, he knew. She would come back—he could only hope. Despite the intensive worry that came with knowing her secret life, Youichi had always been glad that she chose to tell him of all people. That she trusted and believed such a small kid with her secrets, her life.

He was her confidant. To him, it was an honor.

Then a ghost whispered something in his ears. His big green eyes flashed with disbelief as it retold the information it had gathered, the secrets their principal had kept.

_No_.

In one split second, the little boy was out of his room, rushing to find someone who could finally tell him that he could help.

-xox-

_It's almost time. _

That was a phrase Mikan had heard many times in her life, mostly in the past two years. Time for school, time for lunch, time for a fun day with her friends. But it's most common use was to tell her that it was time for a mission to start.

Time for the panic to set in.

It was childish to still feel nervous after all her experience with missions, all the dangerous things she had to do. But she did—every single time. It was her gut telling her that what she was about to do was stupid and reckless and would one day be the reason for her death, and maybe it would be.

No, it most definitely would be.

But for this particular mission, when her partner's voice cut through the thick air like a knife (even if just in her mind), Mikan felt her entire body tense up like it never had before.

_Something's wrong_, she thought back with a shiver. _Can't you feel it?_

_Isn't what we're doing now just as wrong?_

His point made her stop. He thought that the missions they did were wrong too? He thought that the war between a selfish organization and the academy was pointless, just as she did? For some reason, she found herself oddly surprised yet… not.

Everyone else in the DA class thought of Daisuke to be one of the recreational members of their team because he was cold and ruthless—but if he was, then how come his thoughts about the AAO were so bitter?

Daisuke seemed to notice her contemplation because his eyes which had been closed the entire time they were stuck in the tree snapped open, seeming darker in the night as he stared. _Go ahead and ask. _

_Ask what?_

A brow shot up but he didn't comment._ I won't lie. Just ask what you want to know. _

_Um_… Mikan swung one leg over the branch so she was looking back at him and almost shivered at how blank his expression looked. _Daisuke, I just… I don't get you. Why are you really in the DA class? Everyone said you were mean and cold and didn't care about anyone else at all—Rei bit my head off every single time I said I didn't mind going on a mission with you._

There was a gruff noise that came from the back of his throat that sounded almost like a snort.

In the dark, Mikan smiled, her shoulders relaxing slightly. _But you don't seem like what they say at all. You were so mad at me when I sent you back to the academy after we saw Hiroto—_

_Pissed. I was _pissed_. There's a difference, Sakura. _

She bit her lip and flushed. _Sorry. But he's not exactly the kind of person I want my partner going up against. Besides, _she added at his indignant expression,_ I got out just fine only a few minutes after you did! Really, Daisuke, I'm fine! _

Daisuke stared back, cold and hard. _I never took you for the type to lie so much. _

Mikan winced. Even though he probably didn't mean t sound so harsh—it was a thought, after all—the words struck a nerve. Until she went back to regular classes, no, until she _joined the DA class_, she had never had a reason to lie to anyone before. Not about something as big as the entire secret life that went on behind the masks of normalcy she recently created.

_Don't look like that,_ Daisuke ordered silently. Her head lifted. _Sakura, people lie all the time. To get out of something they don't want to do, to act like someone they're not. But what you're telling your friends aren't lies—they're truths._

_I—_

She clamped her mouth shut at the glare he sent her. _They're truths you created to keep them safe_, he said. _To be completely honest, I don't think they deserve what you're doing for them, especially that Hyuuga—but then again, I'm not one to talk._

Her brows knit in confusion. _What do you mean?_

_You asked me why I'm in the DA class—why I'm really here_. He shifted and scanned the filthy clearing below them for a sign, but Mikan didn't look over to check for their signal either. If he saw anything, he would be sure to tell her. Deciding that they still had time he turned back to Mikan. His voice wasn't soft but it wasn't hard either as he said, _I'm here for my sister._

_You're sister? You have a _sister_? Would I know her? Is she older or—_

_The Angel was right—you _do_ ask too many questions_.

Red coloured her cheeks again. _Sorry_.

_You also always apologize for things that aren't really your fault._

Mikan flushed even more was inwardly glad that it was dark and cold and that her faint blush disappeared as fast as it had come. _Um, your sister?_ she asked, changing the subject.

_I don't know much about her. I don't even know her name. Mom never talked about her after she left when I was small; her Alice was discovered much earlier than mine, and much less controllable. She was two years older than me. _

_Was? _

His eyes darkened. _She died two years ago._

"Oh," she breathed, then automatically clamped her hand over her mouth. Telepathically, she added, _I'm sorry._

Daisuke gave her a funny look before glancing away. _Mom's a telepath—she knows things before others even know it themselves. That's how she protected me, how the academy never took me away. No one would've been able to find her if she didn't want to be found. _

_But—_

_If you're gonna ask why Mom couldn't protect my older sister, then the answer is simple: Dad sold her out. That's why Mom left him—they had been going through money troubles at the time, and the bastard thought that it would help. _He laughed darkly, softly, so quiet she barely caught it_. Mom didn't take the money and we've been avoiding the man ever since. _

Mikan stayed absolutely still.

_My mother used to be able to sense the presence of my sister's Alice; she said it was really strong, that my sister was really strong. She said it would keep her safe._

When he paused, Mikan realized she was holding her breath and quickly filled her lungs.

_But a few years ago—_snap_. Mom couldn't feel her anymore. She was gone. Mom just lost it after that._ Daisuke's stiff expression was forcibly straightened out like a roller on pizza dough and he glared at the branches overhead. _That's when I decided to come to the Academy. I wanted to know what happened to her._

_Did you find out? _Mikan asked softly.

_No. As soon as I came to the Academy, everyone was scared of me. No one would talk, so after a while, I didn't say anything either. Persona doesn't even know that I have a sister—I didn't tell _anyone_. _

She blinked, suddenly feeling the heavy realization that out of every single person in the Academy, Daisuke only told one person his secret: her. Her, Mikan Sakura, the queen of all lies. And that was what surprised her most of all.

_All I'm sure of is that she was probably in the DA class—how else would she end up where she is now? _he continued. Then he finally looked up to meet Mikan's still shocked expression, and he raised one eyebrow. _What is it, Sakura?_

Trust. That's what she heard in his voice. She could note the change in him since when they were first assigned to work together, could finally pinpoint his voice as not cold but just… forced indifference. Now he seemed so comfortable around her to just be himself, whoever that was.

Just like Natsume. Exactly like Natsume.

Maybe that was why she didn't ask what she originally wanted, and stuck out an offering instead: _Do you know what she was like? Two years ago, I was still here. Maybe I knew her._

Looking over the field below them once again, Daisuke's eyes narrowed. He leaned forward and turned so he was no longer leaning against the trunk of the tree and Mikan automatically got the hint—they were moving. It was time for the mission to finally start.

But before he took that jump off the branch, Mikan reached her hand out to stop him. _Wait!_

He shot her a look that said _What?_

_What do you know about her? Your sister, I mean. Do you know anything about her—what she looks like, her personality, anything at all? _

Daisuke didn't even look back at her as he said, _There are only two things I know about my older sister: that she was extremely quiet, and that her hair is an iced, curly blue._

-xox-

"Hotaru, what's wrong?"

Ruka shifted uncomfortably in his seat at the purple-eyed girl's silence, stroking his bunny absentmindedly, but she only kept her eyes glued on the small computer screen in front of her, with a serious expression on her face. Her fingers, which had been running over the keyboard quicker than his eyes could keep up, stopped abruptly as she turned to him. "Go."

He blinked. "What?"

"I said go. You're wasting your time sitting here with me. Just go."

Even though her violet eyes were blank as they always were, and her voice was cold and annoyed, Ruka knew that if he walked out that door right now, he would never be invited back in. Besides, it wasn't like he wanted to. "I'm not going anywhere, Hotaru."

She pressed her lips together and wordlessly turned back to her computer. Ruka's heart skipped that she didn't directly kick him out of her lab, so he decided to take his chances.

"I'm not leaving, Hotaru, because I _like_ hanging out with you. I like that you are adventurous and cool without even trying; I like how you act so cold to everyone and everything when I know that your heart is soft. I even like the fact that you blackmail me sometimes because, as crazy as it sounds, I know it's only because you care." He paused, sizing up the way Hotaru didn't move a muscle. "You care about me, a feat rare enough to make anyone feel accomplished."

There was a pause. Then, "If you're expecting a congratulations, don't hold your breath, Nogi."

He sighed. She was acting indifferent again, something that was both irritating and strangely comforting. Outside her laboratory, he could see the same dark sky he had been staring at all day. It was close to five in the morning—they had been here all night—but he couldn't bring himself to leave to sleep.

Ruka was going to be sleeping in class for sure.

Peering over her shoulder, he asked, "What is that?"

"A computer."

"_No_," he stressed, "I mean _that_." His pointed finger paused as the picture on the screen changed and Ruka frowned. "Wait, is that..?"

"Yes," she answered monotonously, her eyes never leaving the screen.

"Does that mean…?"

"Yes."

"But that's just..."

"Yes."

"So, she's not…"

"Ruka," Hotaru snapped, whirling on him. "Learn to finish your sentences or don't talk at all. I'm not hacking the Academy's mainframe for leisure. I'm doing it for Mikan. Now shut up or I'll really kick you out."

"But Nobara-senpai has a younger brother in the DA class!" he exclaimed, bewildered. "How does that not surprise you? She said she was abandoned by her family; how could that be true when there's this boy—"

"Ruka!"

"Hotaru, you can't—" He paused abruptly, as if something had just occurred to him, and a slow smile spread across his lips. "You just called me Ruka."

She tensed but said nothing.

His smile widened. "Twice. You called me it twice. By my first name, no honorifics and no last name." Usagi stirred in his arms, and he let her down without a second thought. "You never call anyone by their first name other than Mikan."

"I said shut up, Nogi."

"And we're back to the last name basis."

"We never left it."

"You know, I remember something you said to me when I was getting over Mikan. What was it again?" He grinned. "Oh yeah. You said I was in denial."

"One more word out of your mouth and I'm going to—" Hotaru started, but her pinky pressed the enter button at that exact moment and a file popped up, revealing the file she had been searching for the entire night but only just found.

A list of names, ordered from most active to least. From those who did the most missions to those who completed less. From the students who faced death more often—_too_ often—to those who had rarely encountered it. The DA class.

At the very top of the list, the one name she had prayed not to see was bolded in bright blue:

_Mikan Sakura. _

No. No, no, no, no, no! Why her? Why _her_ of all people? It couldn't be… The Mikan she knew would've never hurt a fly, and definitely wouldn't have been able to lie about something so big.

"What's wrong?" Ruka asked, abruptly serious at Hotaru's frozen state. "Hotaru?"

But what else could be the explanation? Hotaru had seen the scars that her best friend had been mysteriously been showing up with. She knew that Mikan had been acting strange from Ruka's reports and her own keen observations. She knew something was wrong, and suspected the worst. Still…

"Hotaru? Hotaru, what's wrong?"

"Do you see this?"she asked suddenly. Her hands clenched over the keyboard. "Do you know what this means? What she's done?"

Ruka furrowed his brow in confusion. "Hotaru, I don't understand. Who are you—holy…!" His bright blue eyes widened as he glanced between Hotaru's face and the small computer screen. Back and forth. Back and forth. "No way."

His gaze stopped on the usually stoic girl's face and saw a flash of emotion flicker across her pale face. Anger. Disbelief. Betrayal. Hurt. It was clear that she was really hurt.

"Wait a second!" he protested when she pushed from her chair and headed for the door. "Hotaru, where are you going?"

She didn't look back. "To find that damn Naru. 1000 rabbits says that bastard knows something about Mikan's involvement with the DA class." Her voice dropped with menace. "500 000 says I can make him talk."

-xox-

"_Shit_."

"No, don't stop! They're coming! Daisuke—behind you!"

Mikan had long decided not to waste energy by talking through telepathy, but to be able to hear _herself_ she had to scream every word. Her throat constricted with dryness and she could only hope her partner was able to hear her.

Daisuke spun and his dark eyes glowed black in the night as he activated his Alice and ripped three chunks from the metal walls of the building, flinging them at the advancing soldiers. Red spilled but Mikan didn't allow herself the luxury of wincing, only turned so she could freeze the human-like puppets coming from the other side.

"We have to go!" she screamed, grabbing at his hand to teleport them to the room opposite. That was as far as she could take them. The barriers grew stronger as they moved closer to the center of the building, and the only benefit that came with that was the obviousness of the base's main point.

A millisecond passed with a flurry of blurring colours before the two teens appeared from thin air, both panting from fatigue and temporary dizziness. Mikan had to clamp her eyes shut and lean against the wall to keep from falling over.

Opening her eyes was more difficult than standing. They felt heavy and dry with smoke from the earlier explosion, where she had no choice but to bust open one of the outer cement walls to gain them entry. The enemy had already seen them. There was no point in being conspicuous if it only wasted more time.

Beside her, Daisuke's forehead gleamed with sweat, his eyes were strained, and blood was spotted half-dry all over his skin and clothes. His axe was gripped so tight in his hand that it looked like his knuckles would rip right through, but he didn't look ready to let go any time soon.

"You alright?" he asked.

She nodded numbly, feeling the words clamp in her throat. A small fire started to burn in the middle of her chest, but she didn't have time to think about it. They had to move fast or neither of them would make it.

As soon as she teleported them into the next room, Daisuke flung his axe through the air so it carved through six unsuspecting soldiers, and Mikan sprinted to lead the way, trying her hardest not to look back. Persona had told repeated that rule to her endless times:

_Never look back. Never look back. Never look back…_

Apparently Daisuke had had the same instructions, because he didn't either.

Three AAO puppets were standing outside the door when the two teens threw the door open, but they took care of them fast. Mikan iced them and her partner didn't hesitate a second before whipping his arm to shatter the block into a million, uncountable shards with only one hit with his weapon. She jerked her head to the side and Daisuke backed up so she could send an explosion to clear everyone she felt on the other side of the wall before they rushed into the room.

"How many more?" He spat his words out with blood, and Mikan had to swallow her own before she could answer.

"Thirty. We're more than halfway done."

"And the door?"

"There." Her finger was aimed at a plain steel wall.

"What are we waiting for?"

He waited for no more instructions before his Alice peeled through the next wall with finesse, the metal bending as easily as a floppy sheet of paper, although the sound of shrilling metal squealed in their ears like an amplified noise of nails on a chalkboard. It only lasted a second though.

Quicker than a regular human would've been able to move, Mikan and Daisuke were sprinting through the hole in the wall into a secret passage that ran through the abandoned factory. Abandoned wasn't strong enough a word to describe it—the smell of rotting dirt and rusting iron combined to create a smell vile enough to make Mikan want to throw up the food she didn't have the chance to eat.

As they went deeper into the passage, the already smeared dividers seemed to darken with grease and the floors slanted slightly downward, as if moving underground. Mikan pointed out several devices along the way which Daisuke had no trouble disabling. She could feel the weight of the barriers lifting with every attenuate machine.

_Snap!_

A booming sound erupted from their right and Mikan barely had enough time to duck before the bullet zoomed over her head. But instead of stopping, it bounced off the uneven metal walls and embedded itself into Mikan's thigh with a force that sent her rolling over in the dirt. She heard a clang and knew Daisuke had taken care of the offenders when he knelt beside her.

She immediately shook her head. His eyes darkened but he nodded in understanding. Daisuke helped Mikan to her feet, and she tore off a tattered sleeve of her shirt and held it between her teeth, leaning against a barely visible wall as he placed his hand on the wound.

"Sakura—"

"Get it over with," she gritted out, harsher than she intended. But she couldn't take the words back because then the iron bullet was ripped from her skin and into his hand before she could even think to change her mind.

Her cry of pain echoed deafening through the narrow halls. She bit into the fabric in her mouth, expecting to taste dirt but only finding blood. She tried not to scream again, tried not to attract any more soldiers to their location, but it was hard. Her leg felt limp and every little move caused her whole body to spasm with pain. Daisuke was supporting all of her weight now. The wall was no help.

"Sakura," he said again, this time with urgency. "You have to heal yourself."

"No…" She spew the cloth from her mouth which was more tainted now than it was before.

"Don't you dare argue with me—"

"No!" Mikan steadied her feet against the ripple of pain that jolted up her leg and pushed him away with the wrist she hadn't broken. A white light bubbled around _him_ instead, and his form straightened. He narrowed his eyes.

"You _didn't_—"

"Let's go!" she said, cutting him off. He was just as hurt as she was. From the beginning, three bullets had skimmed him, and although it was different than having one pierce completely through, Mikan knew it couldn't have been any less painful. If anyone deserved to be healed, it was him.

But Daisuke was stubborn. He swiftly pushed her back into the shadows of the already dark tunnel, so unexpectedly that she stumbled back and landed on her butt on the ground. His arms were moving around her leg and she blinked.

"You at least have to stop the bleeding or you'll die from blood loss," he muttered, tightening the knot of dark fabric around her thigh. One of his long sleeves was completely ripped off. She wondered how he had taken it off without her noticing, wanted to ask how he knew how to wrap a bandage, but nodded numbly instead. Stupid her. He had probably been tying his own bandages for years now.

"Thanks."

The next hallway was just as dark, with curling pipes running unidentifiable patterns across all walls. It was completely different from the all silvery interiors of the outer rooms. This passage held all attributes of a sewer.

He didn't have to ask how many, though. How many more solders they had to face. He didn't have to ask for a confirmation because _both_ of them could hear the footsteps pacing around the corner, all in sync but with numbers palpable. Neither had to peer around the corner to know what they would find.

But they did anyways.

The thirty or so soldiers left that Mikan had sensed before were all aligned like the army they were, marching so together like the _puppets_ they were. Mikan could identify all of them to be just Shina's puppets, a skill she had just learned, but the sight of two particular coloured boys farther back made her catch her breath.

Hiroto and Takeharu.

_No_. She blinked repeatedly as if doing so could make them go away. But it couldn't. Didn't. And she only stood there, standing like an idiot as Hiroto lifted his blue eyes to meet her own. He watched her for a mere second with eyes containing pain and regret, before his mouth opened to mouth one word she could read even at so far a distance.

Immediately, Mikan drew back like she was slapped in the face. Daisuke looked slightly alarmed, but she only hissed, "Go! Go back now!" while tugging on his arm in the opposite direction.

But of course he just _had_ to choose this moment not to be one with her thoughts. She shouldn't have expected him to; he didn't know the two most dangerous Alices of the AAO like she did.

What erupted in the next moment was chaos.

All heads snapped to look at Mikan and Daisuke, and before any of them could blink, Mikan had half of the field iced over in a fit of panic. She stopped trying to tug Daiskue out of there when the unthinkable happened, signaling they had no choice other than to stay and fight.

Each and every one of the puppets Mikan had frozen were quickly unthawing, leaving only traces of water all over the sunken grounds, sizzling around them like they had been doused with acid. Soon none of them were trapped in the thick layers of ice and Mikan didn't have a clue how. How the AAO had managed to finally bring meaning to the world _indestructible_.

"Shit," Daisuke cursed again as the line of soldiers came charging towards them.

Seven bullets pierced the air beside them as Mikan jumped to push her partner aside, ducking barely quick enough to dodge them herself. The metal pieces reflected somewhere off the walls behind them and two soldiers went down. Mikan automatically exploded those around them, but since they weren't iced beforehand, blood sprayed like a hose.

Vile rose in her mouth and she fought hard to keep it down. Her throat burned with an almost overwhelming fire, and if not with her previous experiences with things most gruesome than this, she would've threw up right then all the food she didn't eat. Whether or not Daisuke had the same thoughts was unknown to her; his face had drained of colour long ago.

He flung his axe towards her left side. She spun to send of current of wind around the weapon so it flew a complete and full circuit around them, hacking into an uncountable number of guards before Mikan set them on fire. Sweat dripped down her skin and her chest burned like crazy at her extensive overkill, which Daisuke was quick to notice.

"Stop wasting your energy, Sakura," he spat, voice a mixture of fatigue and venom. He caught his axe and threw it again, and again Mikan exploded the victims.

She shook her head once. "They may be puppets, but if they have to die, I'm going to make it as quick and painless as possible."

Answering to that was out of the question, because another round of bullets was being fired up. The nullifier used telepathy to reflect all of them to the ceiling, but each and every one of them bounced back and cascaded on the guards like acid rain. Mikan tried to use her explosive Alice but found herself unable to, for the fire in her chest grew at even the thought of a use of any Alice at all.

Gasping at the sudden lack of breath, Mikan dropped to the ground. Her partner cursed, automatically moving beside her to deflect another wave of bullets, but spinning his large weapon wasn't effective enough to block every single one. Two metal pellets embedded themselves into his skin and he stumbled back, his mouth a flurry of very colourful words.

Mikan attempted to pull up a barrier around them with her semi-coherent mind; instead she screamed. The fire was growing at an unattainable pace, the pain so mind-blowing that she could barely bite into her tongue hard enough to keep from screaming again. Somehow she was on her hands and knees on the ground, her stomach forcing out food but the only thing that rose was blood.

Blood everywhere. Red. Blood. _Pain_.

She could barely hear the cry of affliction that rang next, and it took her even longer to realize that it wasn't her own. _Daisuke_. Her mind tried its damn hardest to focus, to rid of the blurriness she wasn't able to see through, to see her partner that had never once before shown any sign of pain. Barely, just barely, she could make out blobs of blue and green coming towards her and she almost didn't recognize them to be people until it was too late.

Then she was thrown back in a sudden gust of wind—_Takeharu_—her back meeting with something cold and hard. But the pain of that and every other pain as well were drained out by the still impossibly growing sensation in her chest. There had been fire before but never anything like this. Nothing like this. It hurt so much.

_No_, she thought forcefully. _Think of Daisuke, who's protecting you right now. Think of protecting him and everyone in the DA class and everyone else back at the academy who need my help. I can't die here now. Not today. Not now. And definitely not before defeating the AAO. _

Surged by the sudden impeccable desire to protect everyone that she loved, her vision started to clear. The walls and floors and pipes and gut-wrenching smell all came into account, but not before the people did.

Her eyes widened in horror. "No!"

Hiroto tugged back on Daisuke's arm, forcing another cry of pain from the boy as his skin darkened a deeper shade of blue, and Takeharu waved a hand at Mikan with a smile that showed no joy. A gust of wind caused her feet to skid back a few inches, but she didn't pull away her gaze.

"No!" she said again, stumbling forward only to be sent flying back. Although each and every one of the AAO puppets were either blown to bits or hacked to pieces by Daisuke's axe, the severed arms and legs twitched as if still alive. It was horribly unnerving, especially to see the eyes on many of the detached heads blinking. She held her tongue even though her stomach was empty.

"It's Mikan Sakura, isn't it?"

The green-boy's voice sent a shiver down her spine. Not only because he now knew her name, but because of the lifelessness of his tone. How much pain had the AAO put their own through? How much were they willing to sacrifice to get what they wanted?

Surely not their own children, Mikan had hoped. But she was wrong. Seeing Takeharu and Hiroto here now, as dead and without drive as the puppets Shina had created, showed her just how much.

"Please," she whispered, taking another drunk step towards them, "let my partner go. You don't want him. Only me. I won't go with you if you hurt him anymore!"

Takeharu laughed darkly. "Oh, I bet that you will." Hiroto's face went grim and Daisuke's mouth opened again to let out a painful cry, his back arching in agony.

"No! Stop it!" Mikan threw herself forward and sent sharp shards of ice flying in their direction, in which they only met with an invisible wall. _A barrier_, she recognized. But that didn't stop her. She knew that if it was an Alice stone, she could penetrate it with nullification just by getting close enough. It was risky but she was willing to take her chances.

Icing walls around the invisible bubble, willing it as close as she could get it, she barely had time to register how strong the two children of the AAO had gotten. More wind rushed at her that kept pushing her back, and she growled at how she would have just exploded the two boys if her partner wasn't so close to them.

_No you wouldn't have_, a voice chided her from the back of her mind, _they're still Yoshiro's brothers. Even if you could, you would have found a way to escape without harming them. You'll do the same now. You won't hurt them because doing so will hurt one of your friends._

She ignored the voice which was everything but wrong.

This time she came inches closer than the last to the barrier before Takeharu's wind sent her away. It pushed her confidence higher that she could be able to get close enough to save her partner and her drive was much more persistent because of it.

Throwing random Alices at the barrier, each bouncing off but leaving a dent, Mikan could quickly feel her energy start to plummet. _No, not right now,_ she pleaded herself, but her own thoughts seemed to be the only ones to which her body didn't listen. The fire once again started to rise above everything else in her consciousness and she could barely keep her eyes open.

The green-boy saw this. "Ha! You're failing already? I can't believe we ever lost to you," he sneered. "You're just another weakling that the academy doesn't mind sacrificing. Hiro, kill the boy already. We have no use for him anymore."

Wrong thing to say. Absolutely, most definitely the worst possible thing that could've came out of his mouth. The AAO son realized this too late.

Fire. All Mikan could see was fire now, whether it was real or not, she couldn't be sure. Her mind was spinning with fury—they wouldn't kill Daisuke. Not while she was there, not ever. He was ruthless and cold and sometimes completely frustrating, but he trusted her, and he was her friend. She wasn't going to let them hurt him any more than they already had.

The fire grew in intensity and she could see the barrier around the three boys shatter, could barely hear the curses, could barely feel the burns in her own body that radiated from the inside out. Everything was red. The two brothers backed up a few steps.

She heard a curse. Then there was a blinding flash somewhere to her left, but she didn't look to see what it was. A hand latched onto her wrist, someone was yelling her name, and she spun to hiss at whoever was pulling her back only to find herself face to face with a certain green-eyed person who shouldn't have been there.

She wavered, confused. "What—"

"Dammit, no!"

Mikan's head whipped around to face the two AAO Alices and her partner. She automatically shot ice shards towards them but Takeharu was faster and blew them away with a wave of his arm. As she shot more flurries of ice in their direction, the person beside her was shouting her name.

"Mikan! Mikan, we have to go!"

The two brothers threw hard glances at her accomplice. His presence slowed their escape, caused them confusion and betrayal, and she tried to use that moment to her advantage so she could rescue Daisuke and get them out of there. She didn't care about the mission anymore; a failed assignment was better than a lost life.

But then the person beside her finally caught hold of her arm and yanked her backwards so harshly that she almost retaliated before remembering that he was probably sent to rescue her. Still, she tried uselessly, almost weakly to get out of his grasp, her eyes still locked with Hiroto's, who was dragging her partner across the floor and farther away from her.

"Stop it!" No one answered her scream. "Leave him alone! You—"

There was a flash.

Two seconds later, the base exploded.

-xox-

Natsume was tired.

He was sitting in his usual spot in their homeroom class, red eyes closed to suppress his immense fatigue. He hadn't gotten a minute of sleep the night before, his fight with Mikan constantly bringing unpleasant and painful memories to his mind. It was only the morning after and he was already exhausted.

"_Just shut up, will you?" _He clenched his fist under the desk, poking holes into the hand he had just bandaged. The words he had said to her the day before rang fresh in his mind._ "You're nothing but a nuisance."_ Could she tell that he was lying? If he told her the reason for him pushing her away, would she take him back? "_Just leave me alone, Mikan." _Would she know how much he treasured every moment they spent together? How much he loved her smile, her laugh, her constant straightforwardness?_ "I hate you." _

_I hate you._

_No_, he told himself numbly. _She'll never forgive you._

The door slid open again, but it wasn't her. Just Koko and Kitsu, who were joking around like it was a normal day, like everything wasn't screwed up, like Natsume hadn't just broken the academy sunshine's heart. He wanted to beat the smiles off their faces. How could they possibly be so happy when he was so miserable?

For the millionth time in the past twenty-four hours, Natsume wondered how in hell he could've hurt the one person he loved most in the world.

The two seats beside him were empty. He wouldn't allow himself to think anymore about her, so he focused his mind on his best friend. Why wasn't Ruka sitting down? Natsume raised his head slightly to scan the room. A couple desks ahead of him, the blond boy in thought was whispering to the Blackmailing Queen herself.

"Hotaru," Ruka said anxiously, "don't be so angry. I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason that we couldn't find him anywhere. Please calm down."

"Calm down?" she hissed back. If Natsume wasn't in such a sullen mood, he might have raised an eyebrow at the girl's unusually temperamental words. "You want me to calm down, Nogi? Did you not see the file? Are you stupid? Don't you know what it _means_?"

"Yes, but—"

"But what?" Hotaru abruptly stood threw her hands down on the desk so violently that everyone in the classroom quieted and stared. She glared at them, impossibly more menacing than usual. "What do you want?" she demanded each of them, and they all automatically turned their gazes away. Smart. Sitting down and toning down her anger, Natsume had to strain to catch her next words. "Narumi should have been on campus this morning. He wasn't. We spent hours looking for him and couldn't find any trace that he was here at all. No one would talk."

"I'm sure there's a logical explanation for all of this, Hotaru," Ruka said quietly. He put a comforting hand on her arm, and much to Natsume's surprise, she didn't shrug him off. "I promise we'll find out as soon as we can. I promise."

Natsume recoiled. He couldn't listen to them talk anymore, acting so much like a couple—something that he and Mikan were now certain to never be. Even the thought was painful although he had never paid much attention to things like that before. It was ridiculous, really.

Then the door flew open. All eyes went to the person who stepped in, not their teacher, Kashi-sensei, but someone else, someone that most of them had probably never seen since the final battle. Natsume remembered him last watching Mikan from a tree, and his teeth ground together at the thought.

What was he doing here?

"Everyone take their seats," Persona instructed. His voice was as cold and emotionless as Natsume had ever heard it, but something was different. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what, but it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

Not a single person in the class hesitated a second before rushing to their usual spots. Ruka claimed the seat next to Natsume silently and warily, a protective eye always going back to where Hotaru sat stiff as a statue. There was a silent click as she loaded her gun.

The room was quiet for a few moments. An eerie, uncomfortable silence. Not even Koko dared to choke out a sound.

Then Natsume, tired of the irritating pretense, growled, "What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

Across the room, Persona's black eyes met Natsume's crimson ones. The dark irises held the same hateful calculations as Natsume remembered, but he felt something stronger in the man's hatred, something more personal. He didn't tear his eyes away from the man in black until something small and gray moved at the doors.

_Youichi_. Blinking for a few moments to check if it was really the tiny five-year-old, the teenage fire caster silently commanded for the boy's attention. Slowly, his silver head raised, cheeks stained with tears. Youichi held Natsume's for all of three seconds before a sob escaped his throat and he clutched his arms tighter around the thick stack of white papers—envelopes?—before running to cower behind Persona.

Natsume blinked, his mind spinning with questions. Why was Youichi here? What was with those letters? Why were there tears in his eyes? Why did he suddenly run behind Persona? Did he trust him, even after all of those hellish missions they were forced through years back?

And the question the irked him most of all:

Where the hell was Mikan?

A question that, moments later, was proved completely meaningless.

Persona cleared his throat, an unnecessary motion considering that he already had everyone's attention. "You're probably all wondering why I'm here," he started coldly. No one answered. No one moved.

Blood was spreading across the white bandage covering half of Natsume's hand. Faintly, he felt his brain became aware of the deepening pain in his palm, but his mind was focused completely on Persona's blank and heart-stopping words:

"I'm here to announce the death of Mikan Sakura."

* * *

**A/N: There's a reason for everything. I promise. **


End file.
